Kevan Jones, the Durham North MP and Armed Forces Minister, turned his fire on the actress, telling MPs: “Her deathly silence frankly irritates me.” [break]
In evidence to the Commons home affairs committee, Jones spoke of cases of elderly, sick and penniless Gurkhas turning up in Britain, where charities can do little to help them.
And he directly linked that tragedy to Lumley´s endorsement of a Gurkhas´ support group, which he said was exploiting veterans by charging £500 for UK visa advice -- which is available free from the government.
Jones said the actress had also “misunderstood” the issue, failing to realize that Gurkhas would mistakenly believe they could bring adult dependents to Britain with them.
Meanwhile, a Gurkha Settlement Office, set up by the Ministry of Defense in Kathmandu, Nepal, and providing free advice, was working well for those who used it.
Jones told the committee: “It was the high-profile visit of Joanna Lumley that gave this organization credibility, there in Nepal.
“There is an onus on her now to reinforce the message to Gurkhas not to pay money and, secondly, to use the system that is now in place. Her deathly silence frankly irritates me.” Jones said he was disappointed, but not surprised by what had happened since Ms Lumley won her victory, adding: “I don´t like to say I told you so.”
And, referring to both the actress and Howe and Co, a firm of UK solicitors involved in Gurkha resettlement, he said: “People can´t just walk away once the headlines die down.” The clash comes nearly a year after the Government was forced to cave into pressure to allow all former Nepalese soldiers who retired before July 1997 to settle in Britain.
Inspired by Lumley, the star of TV comedy Absolutely Fabulous, whose father served in a Gurkha regiment, the Tories and Liberal Democrats joined forces, condemning the existing policy as shameful.
Weeks later, garlanded in the traditional marigold necklace of the Everest kingdom, the actress was hailed as a “goddess” when she flew out to meet the old soldiers.
But Jones said the tour was funded by the Gurkha Army Ex-Servicemen´s Organization, now accused of profiting from encouraging old soldiers to head to Britain.
The charity Veterans Aid has reported the arrival of penniless Gurkhas, wrapped in flea-ridden blankets, having been told to expect payments and their own house within hours of arrival.
The committee heard that, of 5,000 fresh applications since the Government U-turn, about 4,000 were from dependents, many of whom were over 18 and would be barred from Britain. Jones said: “They could have a better standard of living in Nepal.”
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