Lumley in fresh attack on Labour over rights of Gurkhas

Gordon Brown's attempt to regain the political initiative following questions about his leadership faltered yesterday when the actress Joanna Lumley unleashed a fresh broadside over his handling of Gurkhas' rights.

The Prime Minister was also warned by a senior Labour MP that it would be a "kamikaze move" to press ahead with plans to part-privatise the Royal Mail.

Desperate to get back on the front foot after a torrid fortnight, Mr Brown followed his weekly Cabinet meeting with a speech on education policy at a south London school. But six miles away in Westminster Ms Lumley launched a damning attack of Downing Street's failure to respond to the campaign to allow all Gurkha veterans to live in Britain.

Mr Brown suffered a humiliating Commons defeat last week over plans to restrict Gurkhas' resettlement rights. It led to claims that the Prime Minister's inner circle was increasingly out of touch with the public mood.

Ms Lumley, below, who has championed their cause, told MPs she had written three times asking for a meeting with the Prime Minister, but had only received one reply. She also said she had royal backing for the campaign and told the Home Affairs Select Committee she was shocked the Government had not changed policy as a result of last week's defeat.

"I don't know where else we have to go. We have gone to the High Court, we have gone to the press. We have gone to the people and to Parliament. All those people have backed the Gurkhas. Who do we go to next? The Royal Family are not allowed to get involved, although personally I have had a letter of support. I do not understand democracy, if this is what democracy is."

Downing Street denied snubbing the actress, saying it had waited until policy on the issue was clarified before replying. It also said she had been offered a meeting with Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary.

The Government yesterday stressed it was pressing ahead with plans to sell a minority stake in Royal Mail to a private buyer. The sale has been condemned by almost 150 Labour MPs, including nine ministerial aides, and threatens to leave Mr Brown relying on the Conservatives to push the controversial policy through Parliament. The vote is scheduled to take place shortly after the European and council elections on 4 June, which are widely expected to go against Labour.

John Grogan, the Labour MP for Selby, said: "I think it would be a kamikaze move to bring it back then. A deal has got to be done between ministers and backbenchers. We cannot afford to have a June and July of further big divisions in the Parliamentary Labour Party."

Before yesterday's Cabinet meeting Mr Brown had a private meeting with Hazel Blears, the Communities Secretary, who condemned Labour's "lamentable failures" in getting its message across in an interview with The Observer. Despite Ms Blears appearing to mock Mr Brown's appearance on YouTube last week, the Prime Minister is continuing to use the site as a campaigning tool, releasing a party political broadcast on the internet before it was shown on television.

Earlier, Mr Brown's speech at a Lewisham school did not pass without incident as he was confronted by protesters opposing the closure of a nearby school. He was also photographed talking to pupils with a wall display behind featuring prominent swastikas – part of a school project on the Second World War.