JOANNA LUMLEY - LUMLEY CELEBRATES GURKHA VICTORY

LUMLEY CELEBRATES GURKHA VICTORY

British television star JOANNA LUMLEY is celebrating a landmark victory over the U.K. government after winning her ongoing battle to give Gurkha veterans the right to remain in the country.
The Indian-born actress, whose father fought alongside the Nepalese soldiers in the British army, has long campaigned for them to be allowed to stay in the U.K.
In October (08), the soldiers won a ruling at the High Court in London that allowed up to 2,000 Gurkhas who had teamed up with British troops on the battlefield to remain in the country.
But the U.K. government failed to honour the ruling - and Lumley continued her fight through the courts.
The star's campaign led to a vote in the House of Commons on Wednesday (29Apr09), which saw Members of Parliament (MPs) overrule the government and back plans to give 36,000 Gurkha soldiers and their families the right to live in Britain.
And the Absolutely Fabulous star is delighted with the outcome, saying, "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 - we can change things."
Although government ministers are not obliged to honour the proposals, senior immigration officials have promised to heed the message brought by Lumley's campaign.