Jubilant Gurkha veterans won the right on Thursday to settle in Britain, after a government climbdown in the face of a campaign spearheaded by Indian-born actress Joanna Lumley.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said all of the Nepalese fighters who retired before 1997 and have served at least four years with the British army can now apply for residency.
Smith’s announcement was greeted by an explosion of applause and victory cries by former Gurkhas and campaigners, including Lumley, who were gathered outside the House of Commons.
An emotional Lumley praised Prime Minister Gordon Brown, calling him a “brave man who has made today a brave decision on behalf of the bravest of the brave.”
“This will be received in Nepal today with the greatest joy and gratitude,” she said, standing in front of Gurkha veterans in wheelchairs wearing their British military service medals.
Brown said in a statement the new rules recognized “the unique nature of the service given to the UK by the Brigade of Gurkhas.”
Under the outgoing rules, Britain would only grant residency rights to 4,300 ex-Gurkhas, falling short of demands that all 36,000 of the Nepalese who served with the British army before 1997 be eligible.
But announcing the new policy, Smith told lawmakers: “All former Gurkhas who retired before 1997 and who have served more than four years will now be eligible to apply for settlement in the UK.
“On the basis of the figure of 10,000 to 15,000 main applicants that has been suggested by Gurkha representatives, I expect to be able to welcome these applicants and their families over the course of the next two years.
“I’m making resources available ... to do this and I’m making it clear there should be no time limit on these applications,” she said.
The government was forced to change its stance after it suffered a defeat on the issue in a Commons vote last month.
Smith said ministers had undertaken to “respect the will of the House” and drawn up the new rules.
She reiterated that Gurkhas who retired after 1997 — when their base was moved from Hong Kong following the territory’s handover from Britain to China — already had the right to settle in the UK and more than 6,000 had already done so.
Britain’s border authorities have been instructed to process 1,400 outstanding applications from former Gurkhas “as a matter of urgency by June 11,” she said.
Successful applicants will be entitled to bring with them their spouses and dependent children under age 18.
Lumley, the star of cult TV comedy Absolutely Fabulous, said: “It is one of the happiest days of my life. This is a landmark day we will never forget. It is so thrilling to have overcome something which has gone on for so long.”
Lumley said she was proud to be regarded as a “daughter of the regiment” because her late father had fought with the Gurkhas.
More than 100 veterans attended an impromptu garden party at Brown’s Downing Street office after the announcement, where the prime minister described the Gurkhas as the “bravest of all.”
Their campaign has also been backed by the opposition Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.
Some veterans last year returned their medals to the British government in one of a number of high-profile protests.
As public anger built over the government’s original position, Brown agreed to hold a private meeting with Lumley over the issue.
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