Ben Wallace tells KayBurley he is 'very happy' to meet with Gurkha veterans who have been staging a hunger strike opposite Downing Street over pension disparity. He adds that 'no government' has ever retrospectively changed pensions. More:
"No veteran of the British Army should have to resort to a hunger strike to be heard."
In 2009, following a campaign supported by the actress Joanna Lumley, all veterans who retired before 1997 with at least four years of service were allowed to settle in the UK. Under the GPS, Gurkhas qualify for an immediate pension after 15 years of service, while for armed forces as a whole it is 22 years.
However, many of those Gurkhas will have taken up the right to settle in the UK following the change of policy under the Labour government in 2009. "We are committed to ensuring the Gurkha Pension Scheme is sustainable and fair alongside other UK public sector pensions."
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