Local campaigners furious at Government betrayal of Gurkhas

Former Army Major Dan Byles, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for North Warwickshire and Bedworth, today expressed his anger over the latest Government betrayal of retired Ghurkas soldiers.

In September 2008, the Government lost a case in the High Couurt over their treatment of Ghurka soldiers who wish to remain in the UK. Local campaigners were delighted, imagining the Government would heed the High Court ruling and start to treat Ghurka soldiers who had served their countries by the same rules as other Commonwealth soldiers.

Former Army officer Dan Byles, who was once the youngest Major in the British Army and will fight the next General Election in North Warwickshire and Bedworth for the Conservatives, has campaigned for fair treatment for Gurkha soldiers alongside County Council leader Alan Farnell and local campaigner Om Gurung.

Campaigners today reacted with fury at restrictive new rules published by the Government which will limit hhow many Ghurkas will have the right to stay in the UK to those who have won gallantry award or served for an above average length of time.

Actress Joanna Lumley, who has campaigned tirelessly for Ghurka rights, said the Government announcement made her “ashamed of our administration.”

Today, a furious Dan said: “This announcement is a kick in the teeth for our brave and loyal Ghurks soldiers, who thought that their fight with this Government was won in the High Court last year.

“If anyone has earned the right to remain in our country, it is these brave soldiers. I’ve served alongside Gurkhas at various times in my career, and there are no more loyal, hard working and cheerful soldiers in the British Army. They have faithfully served our country for almost two centuries, performing numerous feats of valour, and they have been badly let down by a Government that has no experience or understanding of our superb Armed Forces.

“We will continue to fight for fair treatment for Ghurka soldiers. All we ask is that they have the same rights as soldiers from the Commonwealth. Why is the Government so determined to mistreat these brave soldiers?

“One of the reasons I left the Army to enter politics in the first place is because I became completely disillusioned with the way this Government has treated our Armed Forces. Our soldiers deserve better than this.”