Good news for the Ghurkhas (Eastbourne and Willingdon Liberal Democrats)

Eastbourne and Willingdon Liberal Democrats <office@eastbournelibdems.org.uk>

Good news for the Ghurkhas

September 30, 2008 12:00 AM

Stepehn and Ghurkha On Tuesday this week at the High Court in London a group of former Ghurkha soldiers with the British Army, won their immigration test case. They were challenging immigration rules which said that those who retired from the British Army before 1997 did not have an automatic right to stay. The government said it would now review all Ghurkhas cases.

Stephen Lloyd, Lib Dem parliamentary campaigner, said: "I am absolutely delighted with this result. The reality is that any Ghurkha who retired from active service with the British Army before 1997 got a service pension worth only one sixth of what a British soldier receives, and no automatic right to British Citizenship. This cannot be fair. What possible moral case was there for saying that a Ghurkha discharged in 1996 after 20 years' service was not entitled to a full service pension? This result means that a grave injustice is well on its way to being put right."

He added: "Ever since I launched a campaign on behalf of the Ghurkha's in Eastbourne six months ago, I have had many letters and calls into our office supporting them. Local people, like so many others around the country, just knew this was a battle about basic fairness."

The Liberal Democrats have been supporting the campaign to ensure Ghurkha's received their due for over two years now. Lib Dem Leader Nick Clegg MP, said after the announcement in the High Court: ""I've always felt that if someone is prepared to die for this country, then they should have the right to live in this country. The key thing now is to look at the ruling in detail and to make sure that the government translates that into action and doesn't try and squirm out of it."