Chaos reigns as Lumley leads Brown a merry dance

Actress meets with immigration minister over 'contradictory' letters

The Government's response to the Gurkha veterans' campaign for residence rights in Britain descended into farce yesterday only 24 hours after Gordon Brown appeared to have defused the row.

The actress Joanna Lumley, who is heading the campaign, renewed hostilities with the Home Office after it sent out letters to four ex-Gurkhas, including two injured in the Falklands War, telling them they had lost their fight to live in Britain. Mr Brown and other ministers were unaware of the letters, which prompted claims of "betrayal" by the Gurkhas because the Prime Minister had reassured Ms Lumley in talks on Wednesday.

Phil Woolas, the immigration minister, held an emergency session with the actress in the BBC's Westminster studio in an attempt to calm her over the letters. There were then bizarre scenes as they held a joint press conference in a Westminster restaurant, with Ms Lumley trying to bounce an uncomfortable-looking Mr Woolas into concessions on live television.

Eventually Ms Lumley said she felt "reassured again" after Mr Woolas explained that the letters were not "letters of rejection". They were test cases in a High Court battle last month lost by the Gurkhas but have been overtaken by the Government's review of its policy after last week's Commons defeat on the issue.

The latest episode in the Gurkhas' saga was embarrassing for Mr Brown, who took charge of the matter after disputes between the Home Office, Ministry of Defence and Treasury were blamed for his first Commons defeat.

Ms Lumley revealed that Downing Street called her shortly before she was to hold a press conference yesterday to explain that it had just heard the letters had been sent. She delayed her event after watching Mr Woolas give a BBC interview, and then held impromptu talks with him. "It seems the Prime Minister did not know about this," she said. "I think he was very anxious. It was in contradiction to what he said yesterday." She said Downing Street was "not up to speed", adding: "There seems to be a gap in communications."

Mr Woolas insisted that immigration policy could not "be determined on a whim" but said more than 100 Gurkhas had won the right to live in Britain in the past week.

David Enright, a solicitor for the Gurkhas' campaign, said: "I am not reassured. We should not be waiting years and years." He said the veterans were older and dying from diseases such as pneumonia that would be treated easily in Britain.