Matt Rodda, Reading's longest‑serving MP, is pushing for pensions justice for Gurkha veterans who served the UK.
Gurkhas are elite soldiers from Nepal who began serving as mercenaries for the British East India Company in the 1800s and were later incorporated into the British Army. They have served recently in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Men who served as Gurkhas were allowed to settle in the UK with their families in 2004 and 2009, with many settling in Reading. The 2009 decision gave people with four years' service the right to residence after a campaign famously championed by Joana Lumley.
Gurkhas say those who retired before 1997 receive lower pensions than those who retired afterwards because earlier pensions were based on lower incomes and the cost of living in Nepal.
Rodda raised the issue with Louise Sandher‑Jones, the minister for veterans. He said: "Gurkha veterans who retired before 1997 have lower pensions than other British soldiers. I believe we owe a debt of honour to our Gurkhas and I am campaigning for a fair deal for all Gurkha veterans. I am stepping up this campaign and it was important to raise this issue with Louise Sandher‑Jones, the veterans' minister."
Mrs Sandher‑Jones is the Labour MP for North East Derbyshire. She attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, served in Afghanistan and retired from the army in 2020.
James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter
