Editing Joanna Lumley (section)

===Gurkha Justice Campaign===
[[File:Guka Joanna Lumley 1.JPG|thumb|250px|right|Lumley with [[David Cameron]], [[Bob Russell (British politician)|Bob Russell]] and the Liberal Democrat leader, [[Nick Clegg]], celebrating the vote in favour of giving Gurkha veterans right of residence]]
{{Main|Gurkha Justice Campaign}}
In 2008, Lumley became the public face of the [[Gurkha Justice Campaign]], a campaign to provide all [[Nepalis|Nepalese origin]] [[Gurkha]] veterans who served in the [[British Army]] before 1997 the right to settle in Britain. Those serving following 1997 had already been granted permission, but the British Government had not extended the offer to all of the Gurkhas. On 20 November 2008, Lumley led a large all-party group including Gurkhas starting from [[Parliament Square]] to [[10 Downing Street]] with a petition signed by 250,000 people.<ref>[http://www.gurkhajustice.org.uk/about_us.html "About the Gurkha Justice Campaign: Campaign Organisers"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131001173054/http://gurkhajustice.org.uk/about_us.html |date=1 October 2013 }} Gurkha Justice web site</ref>

On 24 April 2009, she stated that she was "ashamed" of the UK administration's decision to affix five criteria to the Gurkhas' right to settle in the UK. With the support of both Opposition parties and Labour rebel MPs on 29 April 2009, a Liberal Democrat motion that all Gurkhas be offered an equal right of residence was passed, allowing Gurkhas who served before 1997 residence in the UK and access to housing, social security and healthcare.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8014265.stm | publisher=BBC News | title=Fury over Gurkha settlement plan | date=24 April 2009 | access-date=27 March 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8019745.stm | publisher=BBC News | title=Lib Dems challenge Gurkha ruling | date=26 April 2009 | access-date=27 March 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8023882.stm|title=BBC 'Brown defeated over Gurkha rules'|access-date=29 April 2009 | date=29 April 2009 | publisher=BBC News}}</ref> Following the Government defeat, the [[Minister of State for Immigration|Minister for Immigration]] [[Phil Woolas]] stated that a further review would be completed by the middle of July.

On 5 May 2009, Lumley said that she had received private assurances of support from "a senior member of the [[British royal family|Royal Family]]",<ref>{{cite news|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8034131.stm|title= No 10 denies Lumley 'Gurkha snub'|work= BBC News|date= 5 May 2009|access-date=23 May 2009}}</ref> and attended a meeting with [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] [[Gordon Brown]] at [[10 Downing Street]] the following day. Afterwards, she described the meeting as "extremely positive", and praised Mr Brown, saying, "I trust him. I rely on him. And I know that he has now taken this matter into his own hands and so today is a very good day."<ref>{{cite news|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8036036.stm|title= Lumley 'trusts' Brown on Gurkhas|work= BBC News|date= 6 May 2009|access-date=23 May 2009}}</ref>

However, on the day following the meeting with Brown, five Gurkha veterans who had applied for residency in the United Kingdom received letters telling them that their appeals had been rejected – many saw this as a betrayal, despite the fact that for the letters to have been received the day after the meeting they might have been sent before it (and certainly following the 29 April Commons vote). Lumley confronted [[Phil Woolas]] at the BBC Westminster studios about the issue and, after her pursuing him around the studio, the pair held an impromptu press conference in which Woolas agreed to accept Gurkha Justice Campaign input in developing new guidelines by July while giving sympathetic treatment to Gurkhas not meeting the then current immigration guidelines before the development of new guidelines.<ref>{{cite news|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8037181.stm|title= Lumley in public clash on Gurkhas|work= BBC News|date= 7 May 2009|access-date=23 May 2009}}</ref>

Following a [[Home Affairs Select Committee|Commons Home Affairs Committee]] meeting in which talks were held between campaigners, the [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]] and the [[Home Office]] on 19 May,<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/5360033/Gurkhas-in-Britain-a-timeline-of-their-campaign-to-stay.html|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090526221658/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/5360033/Gurkhas-in-Britain-a-timeline-of-their-campaign-to-stay.html|url-status= dead|archive-date= 26 May 2009|title= Gurkhas in Britain: a timeline of their campaign to stay|work= The Daily Telegraph|date= 21 May 2009|access-date=23 May 2009 | location=London}}</ref> all Gurkha veterans who had served four years or more in the British Army before 1997 were given the right to settle in Britain.<ref>{{cite news|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8060607.stm|title= Gurkhas win right to settle in UK|work= BBC News|date= 21 May 2009|access-date=23 May 2009}}</ref>

Lumley's success in campaigning prompted calls for her to stand as a [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] at the [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010 UK general election]]. However, she has dismissed the suggestion.<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/columnists/lindy-mcdowell/lindy-mcdowell-how-joanna--lumley--is-leading-the-charge-14312324.html|work= The Belfast Telegraph|first= Lindy|last= McDowell|title= How Joanna Lumley is leading the charge|date= 23 May 2009|access-date=23 May 2009}}</ref> During an appearance on ''[[Friday Night with Jonathan Ross]]'' on 29 May 2009, she reiterated that she had no desire to stand for election to the House of Commons.

In July 2009, Lumley went on a visit to Nepal. Upon her arrival at [[Tribhuvan International Airport]], she was greeted by crowds of Gurkha supporters. Lumley said in a statement, "I feel so humbled by the fact I'm going to meet so many ex-Gurkhas and their families, and see where they are and how they live."<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8169319.stm | publisher=BBC News | title=Lumley mobbed by crowds in Nepal | date=26 July 2009 | access-date=27 March 2010}}</ref> While there, Lumley was hailed 'Daughter of Nepal' by the crowds of fans at the airport.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8169641.stm | publisher=BBC News | title=Lumley greeted as 'daughter of Nepal' | date=26 July 2009 | access-date=27 March 2010 | first=Joanna | last=Jolly}}</ref>