Less than a week after the Government announced new guidance for former Gurkha soldiers who retired prior to 1997, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has confirmed that no Gurkha soldier in Britain awaiting the determination of their case will face deportation. She also confirmed in a letter to Martin Salter MP, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Gurkha Rights, that the Government’s policy will be reviewed again as early as this July in the light of experience gleaned from the determination of the 1,360 individual Gurkha cases.

“Last December it was my sad duty to attend the funeral in Reading of campaigning Gurkha war veteran Bhim Prasad Gurung who died in abject poverty whilst awaiting the outcome of his appeal against the refusal to offer him settlement in the UK.
“The Prime Minister should be aware that Bhim would have faced deportation under [...]

Reading West MP Martin Salter has written to Reading University’s Vice Chancellor urging him to reconsider the closure of the School of Continuing Education. He believes the effect will be far reaching as there are currently 2,500 people following courses in the school every year, with 50% of them being retired.

The powerful cross-party Home Affairs Select Committee has this morning challenged the Government’s announcement last week to restrict settlement rights to former Gurkha soldiers who retired prior to 1997 to those who served twenty years or more. In a strongly worded Early Day Motion tabled today by members of the Committee of all parties they point out that ordinary soldiers are denied the opportunity “to serve for the twenty year minimum period afforded to those of the rank of Warrant Officer and above”. The Committee goes on to point out that there is now the appalling prospect of former Falklands veterans currently in Britain awaiting the outcome of their appeals facing deportation as they would not qualify under the new criteria.

Reading West MP Martin Salter who chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group on Gurkhas’ Rights has described the announcement today by Home Office Minister Phil Woolas on the Government’s new guidelines covering the settlement of former Gurkha soldiers as “bitterly disappointing”. The Government’s announcement was in response to the High Court ruling last September which ruled the current guidance to be unlawful.

This being Budget week there’s half a chance that Westminster will actually get back to discussing policies rather than personalities. I am heartily sick of getting phone calls from national journalists inviting me to slag-off my fellow MPs for claiming for a second home when they represent constituencies closer to the House of Commons than Reading West. I’ve also been disgusted by the depths to which people in all political parties are now prepared to sink in order to smear their opponents. In my view the advent of political blogging has been a major factor in dragging politics further into the gutter as it has become a licence for some to smear and libel those they disagree with or dislike with impunity. I look forward to the day when some of these self-appointed supremos of the political blogosphere have to justify themselves and the lies and rumours they spread in a court of law.

Martin Salter MP today gave a guarded welcome to Alistair Darling’s Budget which aims to deliver real help now to get people quickly back into work, and support businesses and homeowners facing problems.

Reading West MP Martin Salter has reacted angrily to recommendations in a Local Development Framework report from West Berkshire Council setting out their options appraisal for development sites in their district up to the year 2016. Despite covering a huge geographical area, West Berkshire have listed sites in Whitehart Meadows, Theale and Pincents Hill in Calcot in their top three preferred locations for development. Their number one site is Newbury Racecourse but in assessing potential housing sites the council appears to have rejected any other significant development around Newbury, Hungerford, or Thatcham in favour of building in the already densely populated greater Reading area.

Research published today by Reading West MP Martin Salter has exposed the hypocrisy and hollowness in David Cameron’s response to the announcement by Gordon Brown to clean up the system of MPs’ Parliamentary Allowances.

Reading West MP Martin Salter joined youngsters to celebrate the extension of free childcare for families with young children, at an event in Parliament organised by shopworkers’ union, Usdaw.