Blair’s Wife to Argue Gurkhas’ Race Bias Suit

Britain’s feared Gurkha army units of Nepalese soldiers have won the right to sue the British government for race discrimination and will be represented in court by Cherie Booth, wife of Prime Minister Tony Blair, a lawyer said Tuesday.

Phil Shiner of Public Interest Lawyers, representing the Himalayan troops who have fought for Britain since the 19th century, said they had been given permission for their case to be heard.

They allege that they are discriminated against in 24 ways, saying their meager wages and pensions, set under a colonial-era 1947 agreement, do not provide them with the equivalent standard of living when they retire in Nepal as that enjoyed by retired soldiers in Britain.

Shiner said not all the issues involved money. He said the Gurkhas faced special dress code requirements, needed permission to leave barracks and were obliged to attend Hindu religious services even though many are Buddhist.

A Defense Ministry spokeswoman said the military would “robustly defend our position in court. The Gurkhas are treated well and will continue to be.”

Matrix Chambers, the human rights legal practice where Cherie Booth works, confirmed that she had taken the case.

In 2000, a pregnant Booth appeared in court to argue on behalf of trade unions that the government needed to extend new parental leave benefits retroactively, a case the government eventually settled.

Also Tuesday, the prime minister’s office announced that Booth, 47, had recently suffered a miscarriage.