It's rather a complicated story - but the essentials are that until recently only Gurkhas who ended their service after 1997 had the right to settle in the UK, the reason being that before that date the Gurkha regiment was always based abroad. A court ruling found this restiction illegal a year or two back, and the campaigners on the issue have been waiting for the government to come up with revised rules. These were published recently, and were widely rubbished as a fudge. Although the right to settle was extended, it was still highly qualified. What's now happened is that these new rules have been voted down in Parliament, to general delight.
And also... What was especially ugly about it: One of the qualifications was 20 years of service. Which an enlisted Gurkha could never meet because they were restricted to 15 years of service. This meant only officers could settle in the UK.
The whole thing just stank. I mean, you consider, Scotland was basically overrun with Poles after they got their EU status. And all the other member states of the EU can come here and live too- with their spouses/families. (it's how I came to be here btw). This means Germans- who were the enemy of the UK not too long ago had more right to live here than Gurkhas who have fought bravely and died for the UK.
That's just not right in anybody's book of decency.
It wasn't just a right v left issue. The ones that got together to defeat this were from both sides of the aisle. You rarely see that sort of cooperation- which should tell you something.
Gordon Brown is always touted as a smart fella but he was just plain stupid on this issue.