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Gurkhas

In a month that has been appalling for the House of Commons and made many of us feel almost ashamed to be here, I want to say unequivocally that I am proud to be a Member of the House of Commons today. This has been a rare good day for Parliament. I invite the Home Secretary to pay tribute to the work of the all-party group on Gurkha rights, and in particular the hon. Member for Colchester (Bob Russell) and the long-time Gurkha campaigner, the right hon. Member for Maidstone and The Weald (Miss Widdecombe). Today is an example of Members of Parliament from across the House working with a brilliant and inspirational campaign out there in the country that touched the very core of the British sense of fair play and doing the right thing by people who are prepared to risk their lives for our country. I thank the Home Secretary and the Government for belatedly seeing the light.