Gurkha Veterans

Matt Rodda Excerpts

Thursday 26th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Matt Rodda (Reading Central) (Lab)]

It is a privilege to be able to speak in the debate. I thank the hon. Member for Tewkesbury (Cameron Thomas) for his excellent work in securing it. Many of my remarks will echo comments made by colleagues across the House. I will pay my own tribute to the Gurkhas and their incredible service to this country, mention some local residents in Reading—I would like to get on the record their contribution to our country—and point out some of the severe issues they face as a result of the cost of living crisis. I hope that the Minister will respond to those in his speech.

To be clear, we as a country owe a debt of honour to our Gurkhas. For 200 years, they have served this country. They have played some part in every war that Britain has been involved in, and they have been involved in some of the most difficult and demanding engagements in British military history, including in particular the defence of India in world war two, when in 1944 Gurkha soldiers were involved in hand-to-hand fighting to stop the Japanese advance on India. They were also involved in the Falklands war and in Afghanistan. I read Kailash Limbu’s book about his service in Afghanistan, which is incredibly powerful and moving; I recommend it to colleagues across the House.

The Gurkhas are the bravest of the brave, as has been said. In my community, they make an enormous contribution. We have several thousand Gurkhas and Nepalese residents living in Reading, which is a common experience for communities across Berkshire and outer London. If I may, I will briefly pay tribute to one or two individuals before touching on the importance of dealing with the cost of living crisis, particularly for pre-1997 pensioners.

Chandra Budhathoki has played an incredible role in developing the Forgotten British Gurkha charity in Reading, which provides support across a whole range of areas to veterans and their families. It is worth considering that often many family members and older Gurkhas—particularly their wives, as well as some other relatives—do not have a very high level of English. When serving in the Army, orders and instructions were often conveyed in Nepali. It is important to remember that there are some practical barriers to life in Britain; Chandra was instrumental in developing that important charity for our community.

I would like to mention briefly some other notable Gurkhas or Nepalese residents I know. Community worker Ram Galami, a former Gurkha, is a notable member of our community. Pratikshya Gurung is a nurse whose father was a Gurkha in the Indian Army, not the British Army. Most of all, Gyanraj Rai, who many hon. Members may have heard of, is a notable campaigner who has raised the issue of Gurkha pensions for many years.

It is worth briefly touching on the significant practical issues that our residents face. My experience of the pre-1997 Gurkhas, who I have campaigned for since 2013, is that many live in poor-quality housing on very small incomes in the south-east of England or outer London—as well as many other high-cost parts of the country—and they are really struggling because of tight finances. To give the House an idea, the pensions we are talking about can be as little as £300 a month, which, when added to pension credit, may bring the income for a couple to £1,600, but to rent a terraced house in Reading would take that entire income.

These are people who are really struggling. They have given us incredible service but are often living in poor-quality accommodation. They are incredibly proud and incredibly hard-working, and they make an enormous contribution to Britain and to local communities across the country. I hope that the Minister, who is a great supporter of our armed forces families and has done a huge amount to support them, will listen to the debate carefully and think about the issues facing this group of veterans and their families.

I will, if I may, add some other practical points and make a request to the Minister to work with the Department for Transport. There are other issues that need to be addressed in relation to benefits and travel back and forth between the UK and Nepal. One that has been mentioned to me today is the lack of a direct flight from Britain to Nepal, which means that elderly veterans and their wives are often in transit in the Gulf—in normal times, I should say. This dramatically extends travel times, which is extremely difficult for residents who do not have any English. I have heard stories of cousins, nephews and other relatives having to accompany elderly pensioners to try to get them through practicalities at airports—things such as customs, finding the right gate and so on.

It would be much appreciated if the Minister had a word with the Transport Department about the need for a direct flight and to pick up on other issues that have been raised by colleagues. I look forward to hearing his response.