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MP demands clarity in Gurkha row Gurkha rulings anger campaigners
(about 11 hours later)
The chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee has written to Gordon Brown asking him to clarify the government's position on the rights of Gurkhas. Gurkha campaigners have said they feel "betrayed" after a series of rulings rejecting the right of former soldiers to settle in the UK.
After meeting Mr Brown on Wednesday, Joanna Lumley said she believed he would come up with a "solution" to the issue of settlement by the end of May. The UK Border Agency rejected four out of five test cases for Gurkha residency in what campaigners said was a "shocking and devastating" development.
But No 10 said it planned to take until the end of July to complete its review. No 10 sources said the decisions were made under the existing rules and were likely to be overturned in future.
Now MP Keith Vaz has written to Mr Brown asking him to clear up the confusion and finalise the timetable. Actress Joanna Lumley met Gordon Brown on Wednesday to discuss the issue.
'Trust in PM'
After the meeting, she said she trusted the prime minister to do "the right thing" for the Gurkhas.
Some 36,000 Gurkhas, a brigade of Nepalese soldiers who serve in the British Army, were denied UK residency because they left before 1997.Some 36,000 Gurkhas, a brigade of Nepalese soldiers who serve in the British Army, were denied UK residency because they left before 1997.
'Constructive' Ministers were forced to ease the residency rules for Gurkhas after the High Court considered the five test cases last autumn and ruled that existing policy was not sufficiently clear.
Ms Lumley's meeting with the prime minister was hastily arranged after she told MPs she had written three letters to him about the issue which went unacknowledged - a point No 10 disputed. Under the current rules, ministers argue that more than 4,000 Gurkhas will be able to settle in the UK but campaigners have said the figure will be closer to 100.
Afterwards, the actress said the discussion had been "extremely positive" and the prime minister was "wholly supportive" of the Gurkha cause. Four of out of the five Gurkhas involved in the original test cases heard by the High Court have now learnt they still do not meet the current criteria for permanent residence in the UK.
She said she trusted him to do the "right thing" for the Gurkhas - which she believes is to grant them the same settlement rights as soldiers from Commonwealth countries who have fought for the UK. The BBC News Channel's chief political correspondent James Landale said the news was likely to anger actress Joanna Lumley and other campaigners after they thought they won assurances from No 10 over the issue on Wednesday.
No 10 said the meeting was "friendly and constructive", but said it still planned to complete its review of the criteria for residency by the end of July, not - as suggested by Ms Lumley - by the end of this month. Ms Lumley is due to make a statement on the matter later.
Ministers were forced to review the rules after a shock Commons defeat on the issue last week, which saw 28 Labour MPs vote against the government and more than 70 others abstain. 'Not set in stone'
However, Downing Street sources have told the BBC that the rulings should not be considered to be "set in stone".
Those Gurkhas whose applications have been rejected will not be deported, it is stressed, pending a further review of the rules as they have "residual settlement rights".
No 10 is to consider all existing applications by the end of the month and to publish revised rules by the end of July.
Ms Lumley hailed her meeting with the PM as "extremely positive", saying Mr Brown was "wholly supportive" of the Gurkha cause.
She has long argued for Gurkha soldiers to be granted the the same settlement rights as soldiers from Commonwealth countries who have fought for the UK.
Mr Brown has been under pressure to clarify the government's position after the meeting with Ms Lumley.
Labour MP Keith Vaz, chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, has written to Mr Brown urging him to set out the government's latest thinking on the issue.
Ministers were forced to review the rules again after a shock Commons defeat on the issue last week, which saw 28 Labour MPs vote against the government and 70 others abstain.
Mr Brown has said he wants to do more for the Gurkhas but that any further promises must be affordable and not undermine the government's wider immigration policies.Mr Brown has said he wants to do more for the Gurkhas but that any further promises must be affordable and not undermine the government's wider immigration policies.
The government has said an "open door" policy could cost up to £1.4bn, a figure disputed by opposition parties and some Labour MPs. The government has said an "open door" policy could cost up to £1.4bn, a figure disputed by the opposition and some Labour MPs.
The Tories and Lib Dems are pressing the government to come up with concrete proposals to allow all Gurkhas to settle in the UK, no matter when they served in the Army, as soon as possible. The Tories and Lib Dems are pressing the government to quickly come up with concrete proposals to allow all Gurkhas to settle in the UK, no matter when they served in the Army.