UK passes Bill allowing more Gurkhas to stay in country

London, Oct 14 : The House of Lords last night passed a new legislation without a vote allowing more Gurkhas to remain in the UK.

Actress Joanna Lumley, a strong supporter of the move and whose dad served with the Gurkhas for 30 years, personally sat in the House and saw the Bill approved, reported The Sun.

Joanna said: "They want to work here, they are not spongers. This isn't about politics."

Earlier, Gurkhas could stay in the UK if they served for four years, but this did not apply to those who retired before July 1997. The Bill passed last night essentially removes the 1997 cut-off point.

More than 2000 former Gurkha soldiers have been refused permission to settle in the UK because they retired before July 1997, said the paper.

A High Court judge had last month ruled the Home Office policy was "unlawful".

ANI