A new ruling from the European Union's top court could force ministers to allow transsexual marriages.

Under current UK law transsexual or same-sex marriage remains illegal, but Tuesday's judgement increases pressure on minister's to begin a legislative overhaul.

The European Court of Justice found in favour of a transsexual UK worker who claimed the NHS was discriminatory in its provision of widows' pensions

The government argued that pension provision commitments for her partner could not be met, as the couple were not married and could not be so under UK law.

Criticising that argument, the court judged that Britain had to give "full effect" to EU rights laws in order to prevent discrimination of this kind.

A previous ruling by the European Court of Human Rights last July said that the ban on marriage contravened Article 12 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

But the House of Lords, asked to rule on a previous case of discrimination by the government, said that only parliament could change the legal rights of transsexuals.

The Lord Chancellor's Department announced plans to address the question of same sex and transsexual marriage in December last year.

However, the proposed changes have been sidelined as the government struggles to push its busy legislative programme through parliament.