"IF a man says he is not afraid of death, he is either lying or he is a Gurkha.” These are the words of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, MC of the Indian Army, former Gurkha commander, who died last year.

Last week, the Government was defeated by a Commons motion to allow Gurkhas to settle in this country. The Government argued that granting this right would cost £1.4bn and “put a strain on our infrastructure”.

This has been proved to be a spurious, shameful lie, as it assumed that all Gurkhas want to live here, when only 1,550 Gurkhas and their dependants have unsuccessfully applied and a further 1,350 have appeals pending.

This would represent a drop in the ocean compared to the unbridled immigration policies of recent years.

Remember, Gurkhas are asking for fair treatment and are not sneaking into the country on the back of lorries from Calais.

After 200 years of fighting for this country, their rights should have already been established as a matter of honour.

I wonder how local MP Alan Milburn, who voted against this motion, will feel next time he passes a Gurkha soldier in a Darlington street. Perhaps he can explain ? – Ian Sadler, Darlington.

IS there a bigger hypocrite in Westminster than Sedgefield MP Phil Wilson?

On April 29, he voted against the Gurkha Settlement Rights Bill because he supported the expelling of these brave soldiers, yet he regularly opposed the BNP and their policy of repatriating foreign criminals.

Mr Wilson is happy to see Gurkhas fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan to allegedly spread democracy in the world, but in January he refused to share a platform with the BNP’s Mark Walker on the BBC Politics programme, showing his contempt for free speech in Britain.

Phil Wilson, of course, has form for hypocrisy. Last March, he said: “I will do everything I can to ensure Simpasture (Newton Aycliffe) post office stays open.” He then effectively voted to close the post office.

As his constituents in Chilton and throughout Sedgefield continue to lose their jobs and homes, there is no credit crunch in our MP’s household, claiming £117,000 in expenses last year, as well as employing his partner in a post not advertised and with no interviews conducted.

The people of Chilton and Sedgefield deserve better.

– J Moffatt, Chilton.