MORE than 60 retired Gurkhas from Swindon went to the House of Commons to meet the Shadow defence minister.

They were invited by Labour to discuss a wide range of issues, including pension reform and how to support areas with large Gurkha populations.

Gurkhas who served before 1997 receive smaller pensions than British soldiers they fought alongside.

This dates back to an agreement signed in 1947 which gives them enough money to live on in their native Nepal, but not necessarily in the UK.

Retired soldiers have long campaigned for this anomaly to be made right and this formed a large part of the discussion with Kevan Jones MP, Shadow Minister for Defence.

Among those who travelled to London with their wives was Lal Sundar Rai, senior citizen co-ordinator of the Nepalese Association.

He said: “For the past two centuries Gurkhas have never had any regret but humbly, sincerely and most loyally were proud of serving the British Crown perpetually.

“We were honoured to meet the Labour Party’s Shadow Defence Minister and former MP Anne Snelgrove because Gurkhas received many rights during the Labour Government’s tenure.

“But while Gurkhas fulfilled the duty of their responsibilities no less than their British counterparts, veterans have been bearing the differences in pensions for a long time.

“Gurkhas have knelt enough, prayed enough and waited long enough, so hope the British Government will conclude a final and completely fair decision soon.”

They were shown around by South Swindon prospective parliamentary candidate Anne Snelgrove, alongside a number of other Labour MPs.

She said more should be done to help Gurkha communities but was unable to commit to pension reform.

She said: “As a country we owe a debt of gratitude to the Gurkhas, who have fought bravely alongside British born troops in conflicts throughout the last 200 years.

“When Mr Lai approached me I was happy to organise a tour of Parliament and arrange a meeting with a Shadow defence minister.

“Kevan has committed to helping those elderly Gurkhas who were made redundant in 1968, many of whom live in extreme poverty. He has also committed the next Labour Government to look at the funding councils such as Swindon receive, which is used to help the Gurkha community assimilate with the wider community.

“However, the issue of pensions equality is a big one, and complex, so we are not able to commit to changes in the current economic climate.

“I am sure the Gurkhas will continue to press for this and look forward to taking it up with a future Labour Government as their MP.”