New Gurkhas policy 'in three weeks'

The news came as the Gurkhas returned to court to enforce a legal victory they won at the Royal Courts of Justice in London last September.

A High Court judge then ruled the Government's existing immigration policy excluding them was unlawful.

Campaigners, including actress Joanna Lumley, whose father fought with the Gurkhas in Burma during the Second World War, said the Government had "delayed and delayed" since the decision.

But Edward Fitzgerald QC, one of the Gurkhas' lawyers, told Mr Justice Blake that both sides had reached agreement "on almost everything".

Scores of Gurkhas and their wives came to court for the hearing and packed the public galleries.

Documents before the court described how many had died waiting for resolution of the case. The most recent was Rifleman Prem Bahadur Pun, who died on Sunday, March 15.

A statement seen by the judge referred to "the distressing details of his case".

It went on: "It appears that his death - as well as being deprived of cheap modern drugs to bring him comfort in his final months - is linked to the Secretary of State's failure to comply with her assurances to publish the policy and complete the reconsideration of over 1,000 stayed cases by December 30 2008."

Mr Fitzgerald told the judge: "The position now is that the Home Secretary has agreed to announce the new policy within three weeks, but she has said that - because it is important Government policy - she wishes to announce it first to Parliament."