Lumley regrets Downing Street cold shoulder
By Alex Stevenson
Gurkha campaigner Joanna Lumley should have been satisfied with her meeting with Jacqui Smith, Downing Street has indicated.
The actress appeared before the home affairs select committee this lunchtime to express her “shock” at the lack of an immediate change of government policy following last week’s Commons defeat.
During the evidence session Ms Lumley claimed she had written to the prime minister to request a meeting three times.
While her first had received a response signed by a secretary her second and third letters went without acknowledgement, she said.
No 10 said usual policy on communications from campaign groups was to only respond when the relevant policy decision had been announced.
The prime minister’s spokesman pointed out Ms Lumley had been given a face-to-face meeting with home secretary Jacqui Smith, the “senior Cabinet member” responsible for the Gurkhas.
Last week the government failed to bring down a Liberal Democrat motion calling for Gurkhas who retired before 1997 to be given full settlement rights in Britain.
Immigration minister Phil Woolas told MPs today a backlog of 1,500 appeals would be dealt with by the end of May.
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