Secret plan to disband Gurkhas
THE Army wants to scrap the 200-year-old Gurkha regiment over claims it will cost too much to treat its veterans properly, it emerged yesterday.
Military top brass have warned that the historic brigade could be disbanded if the Government allows thousands more former Gurkhas to settle in Britain.
They say that the introduction of full residency and pension rights for the veterans and their dependants could leave the Ministry of Defence and British taxpayers facing a bill of up to £3billion.
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Campaigners last night blasted the plans, which could see the end of the British Army’s most loyal and heroic regiments.
The loss of the Gurkhas would be a body blow for the Armed Forces
Joanna Lumley, 62, whose father fought alongside Gurkhas in the Second World War, accused the MoD of “scaremongering”.
“Even in the unlikely event that the MoD’s figure is correct,” she added, “all these retired Gurkhas have earned the right to settle here by serving and fighting in our Army.”
Ms Lumley last year joined forces with the Daily Express crusade seeking better rights for Gurkhas and delivering a 250,000-signature petition to Gordon Brown demanding justice for the selfless warriors.
She said: “The idea that they will be a drain on the NHS is offensive – these people were prepared to fight and die for the NHS. Many of them actually had money deducted from their pay to help pay for it. They have as much right as any British citizen to use it.”
Under new rules due to be announced by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith in the next few weeks, the rights of ex-Gurkhas are expected to be widened significantly. All veterans will be allowed to settle in Britain and receive a full Army pension.
The existing system denies entry to Gurkhas who retired before 1997 and awards them only a third of the pension given to British ex-servicemen.
But one high-ranking defence official said: “This could make the Gurkhas too expensive for the Army.” It is estimated up to 50,000 Gurkha veterans and dependants could apply to come to the UK from Nepal and other parts of Asia.
Tory MP and former infantry officer Patrick Mercer said: “The great advantage of the Gurkhas always used to be that they were plentiful and they were cheap. But with the new agreements that they are getting they are rapidly becoming more and more expensive.”
He said the Gurkhas were being saved at the moment because of a recruitment shortfall in the Army.
“But if recruiting in Britain increases, the justification for the Gurkhas will become more untenable,” he added.
Former Army major Charles Heyman, who served with Gurkhas in Hong Kong, said: “The MoD has been talking about the cost of the Gurkhas for at least 15 years. But even when they have got new rights in common with other British soldiers, I believe that the extra cost of a Gurkha would not be more than five per cent.”
Axing the Gurkhas would mean the loss of about 3,500 highly-trained soldiers at a time when the Army is seriously overstretched.
Shadow Defence Secretary Liam Fox said: “The people of Britain should be enormously grateful to the Gurkhas for their courage and commitment in defence of this country. The loss of the Gurkhas would be a body blow for the Armed Forces.”
Tory MP and Daily Express columnist Ann Widdecombe said: “This is vindictive. The numbers of Gurkhas coming here are a drop in the ocean compared to the number of illegal immigrants settling here year after year and it is time we got our priorities right.”
Laxmi Sharma, of the United British Gurkha Ex-Servicemen’s Association, said: “They are looking for some stupid excuse to avoid giving Gurkha veterans their deserving rights. They want us to defend their country for free.”
An MoD spokesperson refused to confirm or deny any plans to axe the Gurhkas but said: “The MoD fully supports the Home Office and we are working closely with them as they develop revised immigration rules for Gurkhas.”
