New settlement rights for Gurkhas (21 May 2009)

I am pleased that the Home Secretary has today announced new settlement rights for former Gurkhas and their families.

Gurkhas who retired after July 1997 are already eligible to apply for settlement under the current immigration rules. In a statement to the House of Commons earlier today, the Home Secretary announced that all Gurkhas who served prior to July 1997, and completed four years service, will now also be allowed to apply to settle in the UK with their spouses and dependent children.

>>> You can read a copy of her statement online here

There was a debate on the issue of settlement rights for Gurkhas in the House of Commons at the end of April. A lot of constituents contacted me to express their support for the Gurkhas and I know that – like me – they will be pleased to hear today’s news. At the time of the debate I posted an article on this website – you can read a copy below.

Gurkhas (29 April 2009)

I was one of the Labour MPs who withheld my support from the Government during today’s Commons vote on the rules governing the resettlement rights of former Gurkha soldiers in the UK.
 
The government has already done a lot more to improve the rights and service conditions of former Gurkha soldiers than any other government – Labour or Conservative. That was why I think people may want to be a bit sceptical about the passion with which the Conservative Party are now proclaiming their support for the Gurkhas, when they did so little during their own time in government.
 
But that does not alter the fact that the Labour government also got it badly wrong with the proposals that were defeated earlier today. We do owe a lot to the Gurkhas and others from overseas who are prepared to put their own lives on the line in the service of our country. That’s why it is crucial we treat them fairly when it comes to their right of resettlement in the UK.
 
There were genuine concerns that the government’s proposals were too arbitrary and that they would have prevented the resettlement of a large number of Gurkhas. Like other Labour MPs, I made direct approaches to the government and signed parliamentary motions (see here) on the subject asking them to change course. Ministers did offer some compromises and these were welcome. But they were not sufficient to persuade me to vote for the government’s proposal when it came before the Commons today. It was right for Parliament to ask the government to think again. And MPs from all parties did so either by refusing (as I did) to vote for the government’s position or by voting for an alternative put forward by the Liberal Democrat party.
 
The government is reviewing its position and will hopefully bring forward a better package of proposals soon.
 
More information on the debate about Gurkhas is available online here.