page_title: Nick Clegg
section_title: Gurkha campaign
hierarchical_section_title: Nick Clegg / Leader of the Liberal Democrats (2007–2015) / Gurkha campaign
caption_attribution_description: English: Nick Clegg, Leader of the Liberal Democrats visited Maidstone and Weald in June, 2009, to meet Gurkha veterans and their families to celebrate the success of their joint campaign for the right to live in Britain.
context_page_description: Sir Nicholas William Peter Clegg PC is a British former politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2015 and as Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2007 to 2015. Clegg served as Member of Parliament for Sheffield Hallam from 2005 to 2017. An "Orange Book" liberal, he has been associated with both socially liberal and economically liberal policies. Since 2018, he has been Vice-President for Global Affairs and Communications at Facebook.
  Born in Buckinghamshire, Clegg was educated at the University of Cambridge, the University of Minnesota, and the College of Europe. He served as a journalist for the Financial Times before becoming a Member of the European Parliament in 1999. After his election to the House of Commons in 2005, Clegg served in a variety of leadership roles in the Liberal Democrats, most notably as Spokesperson for Home Affairs, before being elected to succeed Menzies Campbell as party leader in 2007. During his tenure as leader, Clegg asserted that the Liberal Democrats had transcended left and right-wing politics and described the party as radical centrist.
context_section_description: On 29 April 2009 the Liberal Democrats proposed in the House of Commons to offer all Gurkhas an equal right of residence; the motion resulted in a defeat for the Government by 267 votes to 246. It was the only first day motion defeat for a government since 1978. On speaking about the result Clegg said "this is an immense victory [...] for the rights of Gurkhas who have been waiting so long for justice, a victory for Parliament, a victory for decency". He added that it was "the kind of thing people want this country to do".
  On 21 May 2009, the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announced that all Gurkha veterans who retired before 1997 with at least four years' service could settle in the UK. The actress and daughter of Gurkha corps Major James Lumley, Joanna Lumley, who had highlighted the treatment of the Gurkhas and campaigned for their rights, commented: "This is the welcome we have always longed to give".
caption: Nick Clegg being presented with a Gurkha hat by a Gurkha veteran during his Maidstone visit to celebrate the success of their joint campaign for the right to live in Britain, 2009
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