NEIL Gerrard and Harry Cohen were among the 28 Labour MPs who rebelled against the Government over rights of Gurkhas to settle in the UK.

The Liberal Democrat motion, which called for Gurkhas to have equal right of residence, was backed by the Conservatives and 27 Labour rebels, including the MPs for Walthamstow and Leyton.

The Government was defeated by 21 votes in what is being described as Gordon Brown's first significant defeat as Prime Minister.

An estimated 36,000 former Gurkhas have been denied UK residency because they served in the British army before 1997.