Nearly 1,000 military widows have been stripped of their pensions after finding new love Bereaved wives are being stripped of as much as £10,000 a year Campaigners: 'Obscene' to take money away if widows remarry or cohabit Updated 2005 scheme allows widows to keep their pensions Defence minister Anna Soubry says rules will not be applied to old cases Nearly 1,000 military widows have had their pensions snatched by the Ministry of Defence after finding new love, the Mail can reveal. Under controversial Government rules, bereaved wives who sacrificed their careers because of their husband's work in the Armed Forces are being stripped of as much as £10,000 a year if they enter new relationships. Furious campaigners say it is 'obscene' to force a widow to forego the retirement income if she remarries or cohabits with a new partner. 'Entitlement': Army wives, such as the women pictured here at the start of the Falklands war, risk losing their pensions should their husbands die and they remarry Ministers have said the Coalition will not change the law to treat all widows equally. Their stance has led to claims the Government is breaking the Military Covenant, which David Cameron enshrined in law to set out the nation's duty of care to military personnel, veterans and their families. Chrissie Fraser, 64, from West London, said that she felt betrayed by the Ministry of Defence for seizing her £900 monthly military pension after she found a new partner. Mrs Fraser, who followed Lieutenant-Colonel Clive Fraser on postings around the globe before he died from a heart attack in 2006, said the loss of income had left her stressed and facing hardship. She said: 'We are not asking for handouts, just for our rightful entitlement. My faith in the army which my husband revered has gone. I gave my time, and my energy to an institution Clive believed in. He thought he had done the best thing for us. I do not feel sorry for myself, I just feel angry now. My years as an Army Wife amount to nothing. New figures uncovered by Parliamentary questions reveal 987 widows have been deprived of their late husbands pension since 2001. Experts predict more than 1,000 face losing their income this year as bureaucrats launch a crackdown. On average widows forfeit around £3,000 a year. 'Faith is gone': One widow affected by the rule said she had lost faith in the Army, which her dead husband 'revered' The rule applies to the old Armed Forces pension scheme and states that if a widow finds new love they will forfeit their retirement pot. The rule does not apply to widows of troops killed on duty. The scheme was replaced in 2005 by a newer one which allows widows to keep their income if they remarry. Air Marshal Sir Christopher Coville, chairman of the Forces Pension Society, said: 'Many women have sacrificed their own careers to follow their husband's work with the Armed Forces, contributing to their husbands' pensions in loyalty and devotion to spouse and country. Forces widows have very little chance to earn money, let alone build a career because they are moved from base to base, often in remote, foreign locations, with very little notice. Many are expected to take on unpaid social and community support roles. 'They have truly earned a share in their husband's pension and to argue otherwise is deeply insulting.' Labour MP Katy Clark, who uncovered the figures, said: 'Taking away these pensions is wrong and unfair and it has caused a lot of anger. No change: Defence minister Anna Soubry said that the pensions rules will not be changed due to the financial implications A serviceman who has built up a pension entitlement expects it to be passed to their spouse when they die. A widow who has made a considerable sacrifice should not be placed in the dreadful situation of having to decide whether to remarry or keep their pension. Some widows decide to secretly cohabit without telling the authorities so that they can keep their income, even though they risk being prosecuted for fraud. Last year Carol Garside, 48, the widow of a Royal Navy diver was jailed after admitting pocketing her Armed Forces pension while living with, and then marrying, another man. Defence Minister Anna Soubry said: 'It has long been the policy of successive Governments that changes or improvement to public sector pension schemes should not be applied retrospectively. This is because legacy pension issues cannot be looked at in isolation; addressing one issue would increase the pressure to address legacy issues in all public sector pension schemes, and this would have huge financial implications.