Clegg accuses Brown as 'deeply evasive' and 'shameful' over Gurkha ruling

The Liberal Democrats leader Nick Clegg is calling on MPs of all parties to join Liberal Democrats in a vote against the Labour Government's shameful ruling on the Gurkhas.

Gordon Brown and Ministers face a Liberal Democrat led cross-party showdown in Parliament this afternoon, over the shameful Government decision that will see thousands of retired Gurkhas forcibly deported.

In a Liberal Democrat Opposition Day Debate in the House of Commons, MPs will have the opportunity to vote on last week's decision to limit the number of retired Gurkhas who can stay in Britain.

Joanna Lumley and a large group of Gurkha Justice Campaigners demonstrated outside the House of Commons at lunchtime, while the Liberal Democrats continued the fight inside Parliament during PMQs.

Commenting on the Government's Gurkha ruling, Nick Clegg said:

"People who are prepared to fight and die for our country should be entitled to live here. Yet even this basic principle is broken by this out of touch and morally bankrupt Government."

During Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons at midday today, Nick Clegg, who can rightly claim to have done much of the running on the Gurkha issue in recent months, was pulling no punches when he described the PM's position as "deeply evasive" and "shameful".

There's a good deal of support on the Labour backbenches for the plight of the Gurkhas and the Lib Dems are hoping to flush that out into solid votes later when they use their opposition debate to put pressure on ministers.

How is it that the Gurkhas, who have paid a debt in blood and have fought and died for this country, are not allowed to settle in the UK. It makes one livid, especially when one considers the way this government seems to bend over backwards at times, to allow terror suspects and people who are violently opposed to our way of life... to enter this country and live and work in the UK. There are no words base enough to describe what Brown and this morally defunct government is doing to these people!

The British people, I am sure, believe the government should be less restrictive in dealing with the Gurkha settlement claims... and that's putting it mildly. In my opinion, any and ALL Gurkhas who have served in the British Armed Forces... should have the automatic right to reside in the UK... and yes... their immediate families too... however many that is!

Breaking News Update

The Lib Dem motion on Gurkha residence rights was passed by 267 votes to 246 in the House of Commons! Read more... BBC NEWS | Politics | Brown defeated over Gurkha rules

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