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The Prosser Perspective.... a weekly column from Dover and Deal MP Gwyn Prosser.

30 April 2009

Nearly 200,000 Gurkhas fought for this country during the two world wars, 45,000 gave their lives defending our freedom and 3,500 Gurkhas are still fighting for us today in places like Iraq and Afghanistan – with a good number of them billeted in Dover and Folkestone.

Despite the loyalty that these brave soldiers demonstrated they were not allowed to settle here in the past and this Government is the first and only government since the Second World War to provide UK settlement rights for Gurkhas.

This right to settle was given to Gurkhas discharged from the British Army on or after 1 July 1997 – the point at which the Brigade of Gurkhas moved their headquarters from Hong Kong to the UK and since we made the change, 6,000 Gurkhas and their families have settled here.

That was an important over-due reform and I’m proud that it was a Labour Government that introduced the measure but it didn’t go far enough and I, with my colleagues on the All Party Gurkha Group have been campaigning for improvements ever since.

Last week the Minister announced what he described as “more generous criteria” for those discharged before 1997 – the new guidance does represent an improvement but this further reform is badly flawed and it’s laid the Government open to accusations of the betrayal.

In my view – at the very least – the new guidelines should have allowed Gurkha soldiers who risked their lives and fought for Britain in the Falklands War the opportunity to apply to settle in this country. Instead the announcement limited applications to Gurkha soldiers who have served twenty or more years and this is not good enough. In practice it means that only the officer class will benefit because most soldiers in the lower ranks are only allowed to serve for fifteen years. So instead of rewarding our Falklands heroes we now face the appalling prospect of denying them settlement and deporting them.

A number of the 1,500 Gurkhas resident in the UK awaiting the outcome of their appeals are themselves former Falklands combatants and some live here in Dover and other parts of East Kent. It’s simply outrageous that those who have put themselves in harm's way for our country should be treated like this and that’s why the Home Affairs Select Committee has taken the unprecedented action of tabling an Early Day Motion criticising the omission and commanding Ministers from the Home Office and Ministry of Defence to appear before us for questioning. This would allow us to properly examine the consequences of their decision and to ascertain how many former Gurkhas would actually qualify for settlement and how many of the 1,500 Gurkhas, including Falklands veterans would face deportation.

That will be an interesting session which will add to the pressure we are applying for improvements but in the meantime I’ve informed my Whip and Ministers that unless they make changes to the guidelines I will not be able to support the Government vote when the issue is debated in the Chamber.