Brown says sorry to Lumley over gurkhas

Prime Minister Gordon Brown told Gurkha campaigner Joanna Lumley yesterday he was "sorry" over comments made about her by a government minister.

Veterans minister Kevan Jones also apologised "unreservedly" to the actress for his criticism of her "deathly silence" on Gurkhas' welfare since she forced a government climbdown last year over the Nepalese troops' right to settle in the UK in retirement.

In an impassioned press conference in Westminster, Ms Lumley made clear that she regarded Mr Jones's comments as a "smear".

And she called on Mr Brown to restate his support for the resettlement policy, which has seen around 6,000 Gurkhas apply to live in Britain.

Downing Street said the Prime Minister had a "positive" telephone conversation with Ms Lumley, in which he expressed regret over Mr Jones's comments.

The Prime Minister's spokesman said Mr Brown read Ms Lumley the statement of "unreserved apology" that was being offered by Mr Jones.

And he added: "Joanna Lumley, as you know, has had particular concerns about some of the media coverage of the campaign. The Prime Minister said he was sorry this had happened."

Giving evidence to the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee on March 9, Mr Jones voiced concern that Gurkha veterans in Nepal were being given misleading information about the benefits and support they might receive if they came to the UK.

And he claimed that the Gurkha Army Ex-Servicemen's Organisation (GAESO) had been taking payments of £500 from veterans and passing their cases on to London solicitors Howe & Co, which was part of the campaign to win settlement rights.

His comments followed press reports suggesting that some Gurkhas had been encouraged to apply for visas to come to the UK when they had no means of support here.

There was an onus on Ms Lumley to spread the message that veterans did not need to pay to access advice on their rights, he said, adding that her "deathly silence, frankly, irritates me".

Ms Lumley yesterday said she had never spoken to Mr Jones.

She and other campaigners had been asked by the government to continue their work behind the scenes, rather than speaking out publicly.

"It has been suggested that I somehow was parachuted in, took the headlines and ran. I feel that is a smear," she said.

"It has been suggested that I somehow spread falsehoods amongst the Gurkha communities both here and in Nepal about what they could expect. That is a lie and therefore a smear.

"The people who made those accusations must know them to be untrue."

She denied that a "victory trip" to Nepal was funded by GAESO, insisting she and other campaigners funded their expenses out of their own pockets.

Ms Lumley added: "We want to call on the Prime Minister to confirm that the policy is one that he completely supports, that the Ministry of Defence is behind everything they said they would be behind.

"I want to say to the people of this country, what you did was to back a just cause and we have not stopped working solidly for the Gurkhas in the quiet, as we promised the Prime Minister we would."

Minutes before Ms Lumley spoke, Mr Jones said in a statement: "I apologise unreservedly for any offence caused to Joanna Lumley by my remarks to the Home Affairs Committee - this was not intended."

Mr Jones said he had "the greatest of respect" for her work and accepted that neither she nor the campaign had sought to mislead Gurkhas about their prospects in the UK.