THOUSANDS of former miners will finally receive a pension boost today.

The payment follows the Labour government’s reversal of a ‘decades-long historic injustice’, leading to £1.5bn being transferred to the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme (MPS) as promised in the party’s election manifesto.

The uplift represents an average 32 per cent hike, equating to an average increase of £29 per week for each member.

The Energy Secretary and Minister for Industry, Sarah Jones, met members and trustees of the scheme last month at the National Union of Mineworkers’ headquarters in Barnsley town centre to discuss their pensions.

Stephanie Peacock, MP for Barnsley South, said: “I am delighted that the first members of the MPS have received an uplift in their pension payments.

“I have been proud to lead the call for change, securing the cross-party select committee report into the scheme, which concluded that the government should not be in the business of profiting from miners’ pensions.

“It was this report that led to the manifesto commitment that the government have now delivered on.

“Mineworkers were the backbone of keeping the country going for decades.

“I hope that this important change makes a difference to former miners in Barnsley and across the country.”