Gurkhas defeat Gordon Brown!

[jimmy olsen]

Excellent.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/apr/30/gordon-brown-gurkhas-mps-expenses

Gordon Brown bruised after defeat over Gurkhas, next on table is MPs' expenses

• Labour rebellion delivers blow to PM's authority
• Vote is triumph for Clegg's attack on 'shameful' policy

    * Nicholas Watt and Andrew Sparrow
    * The Guardian, Thursday 30 April 2009
    * Article history

Gordon Brown was struggling last night to shore up his authority after suffering his first Commons defeat as prime minister when MPs voted to allow all retired Gurkhas to settle in Britain.

Days after being forced to water down his plans to reform the system of MPs' expenses and allowances, Brown lost the support of 27 Labour MPs who voted with the Liberal Democrats and the Tories.

Up to 75 other Labour MPs abstained in the vote, which demanded that all former Gurkhas be allowed to live in the UK, not just those who retired after 1997 and a small proportion of the others. Stephen Pound resigned as a ministerial aide last night after joining the rebels.

A few hours after the 21-vote defeat, the government was forced to rush out a statement in which the immigration minister, Phil Woolas, announced a four-point plan to allay the anger of MPs:

· The 1,300 Gurkhas awaiting a decision on whether they can settle in Britain will have their cases considered by the end of May, rather than 11 June.

· A government review of the impact of its policy will be accelerated and will be published before the summer recess.

· A Gurkha who fails to win the right to settle in the UK will not have that decision implemented before the publication of the review.

· Government guidelines published last Friday will be reconsidered.

But Woolas made clear that Britain cannot open the door to all Gurkhas. "It is easy to make policy in opposition but the commitment to the Gurkhas and their families, their dependents, would incur public expenditure for the taxpayer."

There were recriminations last night. Labour whips were criticised for failing to spot the size of the Labour rebellion until 2.30pm, 90 minutes before the vote. The Home Office and the Ministry of Defence were also criticised for failing to reach agreement. Ministers from the two departments were highly critical of each other last night.

The rebellion set the scene for another bruising day today when MPs vote on Brown's plans to reform MPs' allowances and expenses. David Cameron was examining whether to try to inflict a second defeat in as many days by supporting amendments to the prime minister's expenses plan tabled by the cross-party Commons standards and privileges committee, chaired by Sir George Young, the former Tory cabinet minister.

Young would refer each of Brown's reforms to the committee on standards in public life, chaired by Sir Christopher Kelly, which would report in its own time. Government sources have dismissed supporters of the Young plan as the "forces of reaction" because they would delay reform.

Brown wants immediate reform on all areas bar one. Downing Street has agreed that the £24,006 additional costs allowance, used to subsidise MPs' second homes, should be referred to the Kelly committee which would come up with a new allowance that "takes account of attendance at Westminster".

Cameron is attracted by the Young amendment in this area because it would delete Brown's attempt to suggest to Kelly that he should consider a daily allowance. But supporting Young would leave him open to charges from No 10 that he was delaying reform.

The political atmosphere changed yesterday after MPs backed by 267 votes to 246 a Liberal Democrat demand for "an equal right of residence for all Gurkhas".

The defeat was a particular blow to Brown, who had strongly defended the government's position when he faced sustained questioning on the Gurkhas from Cameron and Nick Clegg. Brown said an open policy could result in up to 100,000 Nepalese veterans and their relatives coming to the UK, at a cost of £1.4bn.

The vote was a personal victory for Clegg who was widely praised for putting in his strongest performance at prime minister's questions when he condemned Brown for his "shameful" approach. "Can [the prime minister] not see that there is a simple moral principle at stake, and it is this: if someone is prepared to die for this country, surely they deserve to live in this country?" Clegg asked.

Clegg held a joint press conference after the vote outside the Commons with Cameron flanked by the actor Joanna Lumley, whose father fought with the Gurkhas in Burma. Lumley said: "Just before this vote was taken our spirits were nearly at zero. When it came through we saw it on the screen and I can't tell you the sense of elation, the sense of pride - pride in our country, pride in the democratic system and pride in our parliament."

[Richard Hakluyt]

The government is just so detached from the rest of us, even other members of the Commons, so they have got this nasty surprise.

British xenophobia is quite selective and I have never heard it extended to the Gurkhas. The overwhelming majority seem to be in favour of letting the Gurkhas settle here if they wish.

[Alatriste]

You know, from outside Britain at least often seems like Gordon Brown still thinks as the Chancellor of the Exchequer he was for so long. I have a hard time imagining Tony Blair behaving like such a bean counter... and still less can I imagine him being so blind and suffering this humiliating defeat.

Oh, and surely Joanna Lumley is an actress, not an actor...

[Richard Hakluyt]

You can use either. Actor is probably better, actress puts undue stress on the actor's gender in my view, though i'm not at all sure how mainstream that view is 

[Josquius]

This was a strange one. Weird the government would choose to be against this.
I thought it had already passed a few weeks back though.

[Warspite]

You know, from outside Britain at least often seems like Gordon Brown still thinks as the Chancellor of the Exchequer he was for so long. I have a hard time imagining Tony Blair behaving like such a bean counter... and still less can I imagine him being so blind and suffering this humiliating defeat.

Oh, and surely Joanna Lumley is an actress, not an actor...

Actually I think actor is a gender-neutral noun - like author.

[Sheilbh]

How stupid were the government to position themselves like this on this subject.  I mean Jesus

Edit: And I love Joanna Lumley.

[Richard Hakluyt]

I don't know if you can recall the John Major government, Sheilbh, but it degenerated into comple risibility towards the end. All I can remember from the last year or so was the famous "cones hotline", closed recently as the cost did not justify the three or so calls made to it each year 

[Monoriu]

Reminds me of what happened almost 20 years ago.  After Tiananmen Square, millions of HKers wanted British passports.  Most people didn't want to settle in the UK, but wanted a backdoor if anything happens.  Thatcher mostly said no, but did give out passports to 100k-200k elites - senior civil servants, plumbers and the like. 

[Ed Anger]

Nancy Grace is writing Tim's headlines again.

!

[Mikael Hakim]

How stupid were the government to position themselves like this on this subject.  I mean Jesus

Seriously. It's like if they wanted to make themself unpopular.

[Monoriu]

Brown said an open policy could result in up to 100,000 Nepalese veterans and their relatives coming to the UK, at a cost of £1.4bn.

This is the exact same argument that they used to refuse giving us UK passports.  6 million HKers coming to the UK would cost xxxx!!!!!  The thing is, HK at that time already had a higher GDP per capita than Britain.  Very, very few of us wanted to live in a shitty place with high taxes  We just wanted to be able to fly to somewhere if anything happens. 

[The Brain]

"Gurka" in Swedish means cucumber. Food for thought.

[Malthus]

Certainly if I was a Brit, I'd feel that the Gurkhas were owed.

[The Brain]

Certainly if I was a Brit, I'd feel that the Gurkhas were owed.

"pwed"