Justice for Gurkhas

2.25.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 29th Apr 2009

Gurkha Veterans campaigning at the Lib Dem Spring Conference

Snapped outside the Lib Dem National Spring Conference in Harrogate by webmaster Alan Williams, two veteran Gurkhas campaign for Justice & Equality from the Labour Government. Since the publication of the new regulations allowing a very limited number of Gurkhas who served the UK before 1997 to have the right to settle here, there has been a cry of outrage from the Liberal Democrats.

Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg said,"Are there any moral principles left in this hollowed out government? People who are prepared to fight and die for this country should be entitled to live in this country."

The Liberal Democrats tabled an opposition debate on the issue for today Wednesday the 29th of April. The debate was led by Chris Huhne MP, Lib Dem Home affairs shadow, who recently spoke at a fund raiser for Haltemprice & Howden.

When the vote was taken the government was resoundingly defeated by 267 votes to 246, which means that the government will have to think again about the rights of Gurkha veterans to live in the UK. This is a huge triumph for Nick who challenged Gordon Brown over a year ago to do the decent thing for all those Gurkhas who had laid their lives on the line for Great Britain. Now pride can be restored to our democracy.