Thurso welcomes victory for Gurkhas and calls on Government to heed both the people and Parliament
May 5, 2009 12:00 AM
John Thurso MP says "Last week the House of Commons finally voted to support the claim of former Gurkha soldiers (retired before 1997) to live in this country. As the Government again shamefully and sickeningly tried to impose an arbitrary "selection process" to deny many the right to live here, MPs of all parties united behind a Liberal Democrat motion to defeat the Government.
"The Liberal Democrats feel that if you are prepared to fight and die for this country there should be no question about whether you are allowed to live here or not. Gurkhas should be treated the same as their foreign and Commonwealth counterparts in Britain's armed forces and be allowed indefinite leave to remain after four years service. Government proposals however, announced in April would mean that Gurkhas who retired before 1997 would have to serve up to five times as long as their counterparts. Unjustly excluding almost all private soldiers who serve on average of fifteen years.
"The Gurkhas have made an unconditional commitment to our nation, and we cannot repay that extraordinary service, bravery and dedication with a penny-pinching attitude. This is an issue about our own values as a people, as much as it is about the Gurkhas.
"Wonderfully we managed to defeat the Government by a vote of 267 to 246, the first success for any opposition motion for more than thirty years and only the third Government defeat in the Commons since 1997. It was a moment of great pride and elation, as it seems the Gurkhas will finally receive the respect they deserve.
"I am sometimes asked, since the vote is not legally binding, what will happen if the Government wriggles out of its new commitment to respect the will of the House of Commons. I do not believe that they would dare. We intend to table amendments to the current borders and immigration bill to ensure that the terms of our motion - equal treatment for all Gurkhas - are applied. We will be vigilant to ensure that there is no back-sliding in the knowledge that the majority of MPs and of the public want to see us honour our obligations to these brave men who have rendered such great service to our nation."
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