Civil Service Pension (Classic) Survivor Benefits for Civil Partners

AntPDC

I was surprised to read this on the official CSP site earlier today: "[The scheme] will pay your widow, widower or civil partner a continuing pension. This is usually one half of the pension you received at the time of your death although it may be lower in certain circumstances. A pension for a civil partner will only be based on your service after 6 April 1988.
My service date from 1972 - 1996. In the light of the 2017 UK Supreme Court ruling (Walker v Innospec Limited) that all same sex civil partners or same sex spouses are entitled to the same pension on the death of their partner/spouse as heterosexual partners, I was wondering how the Civil Service Pension Scheme can continue to discriminate in this manner. 
Grateful for any insights.

Kynthia

The only explanation I can find is here. https://www.stonewall.org.uk/help-advice/partnership-rights/pensions

If you scroll down to the section regarding public sector pensions it explains how widows only gain pension benefits from service in 1978 onwards and widowers from 1988 onwards, and prior to those years there are no surviving spouse benefits. So civil partners have been given the same benefits as widowers currently get.

AntPDC

Kynthia said:

The only explanation I can find is here. https://www.stonewall.org.uk/help-advice/partnership-rights/pensions

If you scroll down to the section regarding public sector pensions it explains how widows only gain pension benefits from service in 1978 onwards and widowers from 1988 onwards, and prior to those years there are no surviving spouse benefits. So civil partners have been given the same benefits as widowers currently get.

Thank you so much for replying. Very useful!