Whitehouse Communications delivered the political and public relations campaign for the British Gurkha Welfare Society (BGWS), supporting its fight for pension equality with former British colleagues. The firm ensured the BGWS voice was heard at every level of Parliament through an energetic programme of MP briefing meetings, stakeholder engagement and evidence to Select Committee proceedings, and assisted the Society in forming the Gurkha Welfare All-Party Group. Alongside the political work, Whitehouse ran an aggressive public relations campaign that secured more than 600 pieces of UK and international coverage across the BBC, Sky News, The Times, The Independent, the Daily Telegraph and the Wall Street Journal, keeping the Gurkha welfare issue in the political arena and the public consciousness.
The challenge
The British Gurkha Welfare Society (BGWS) is one of the largest welfare organisations supporting Gurkhas in the UK and Nepal. Founded in 2004, the BGWS has been one of the leading campaigners on issues of Gurkha welfare including settlement and pension rights.
The Gurkhas were brought fully into the public consciousness in 2009 when a Joanna Lumley-led campaign overturned the policy of the then-Government and secured settlement rights for Gurkhas who had retired before 1997. However, those Gurkhas granted UK settlement did not receive a pension equal to their former British colleagues, leaving many in Nepal in desperate financial need or reliant on State support after relocating to the UK. In October 2009 the BGWS won the right to a judicial review of the Ministry of Defence’s pensions policy, but the High Court returned a verdict against the Gurkhas in January 2010, with the decision subsequently upheld in October 2010 by the Court of Appeal. Against this backdrop, the BGWS engaged Whitehouse Communications to sustain and build the campaign for pension equality across political, parliamentary and media tracks.
Our approach
Whitehouse Communications delivered a coordinated political and public relations campaign that ensured the BGWS voice was heard across every level of Parliament and every tier of the UK and international media.
The work focused on:
- Maintaining an energetic programme of MP briefing meetings, stakeholder engagement and contributions of evidence to Select Committee proceedings to keep the BGWS voice heard at every level of Parliament.
- Assisting the BGWS in forming the Gurkha Welfare All-Party Group, for which the Society provided secretariat support, giving the campaign a durable parliamentary vehicle.
- Running an aggressive public relations campaign to support the BGWS’s efforts, particularly in relation to its legal case, capitalising on the widespread public support for the Gurkhas.
- Arranging numerous interviews for the BGWS’s spokesmen with UK national newspapers, television and radio, along with key international news outlets.
The outcome
The BGWS was firmly recognised as the leading Gurkha voice for pensions equality, and made a comprehensive case to the government that helped secure funding to support local services in the areas favoured by veterans moving to the UK. Whitehouse Communications’ work ensured that the Gurkhas were never far from the headlines, securing more than 600 pieces of UK and international coverage across news outlets including the BBC, Sky News, The Times, The Independent, the Daily Telegraph and the Wall Street Journal.
For the British Gurkha Welfare Society, the sustained political and public relations campaign translated the pension equality cause into a durable parliamentary voice through the Gurkha Welfare All-Party Group, secured concrete government funding for veteran-supporting local services, and kept the wider Gurkha welfare issue in front of decision-makers and the public across the UK and internationally.
