The Gurkhas' iconic curved knife, so legend has it, always sheds blood before returning to its scabbard. And so it proved as Joanna Lumley brandished the kukri outside the Houses of Parliament and cut the British government down to size on the issue of right of abode for the brigade's veterans.
In her impassioned role as the Gurkhas' sweetheart, the actress-turned-activist secured victory in a battle that can be traced back to the handover of Hong Kong. As the Union Jack was lowered at Tamar for the last time, the door was slammed on Gurkha veterans wishing to settle in Britain. It took 12 years, but last week it was announced that any Gurkha who had served more than four years would be able to settle in Britain with his spouse and any minor children.
Perhaps best known as the outrageous champagne-swigging Patsy in the 1990s British sitcom Absolutely Fabulous, the 63-year-old Lumley is no stranger to high-profile causes. She supported the Free Tibet movement as a vocal opponent of last year's Olympic torch relay and has campaigned for animal rights groups. Her successful Gurkha campaign won praise from a chastened Prime Minister Gordon Brown and calls (which she rejected) from the public for her to stand as an independent candidate in the next election.
'I'm not a celebrity in this, I'm a daughter of the regiment. My father was a Gurkha all his life, so I belong with them. I followed the Gurkha flag all around the world,' she said.
Until the dramatic change of policy, Gurkhas who retired prior to 1997 were deemed not to have strong enough ties to Britain to warrant residency because they were based in Hong Kong rather than England. The government's capitulation on the issue came after the Home Office, despite its concerns about the cost of taking in an indeterminate number of veterans, relaxed the rules last month in line with a High Court judgment that the closed-door policy was unlawful.
The Home Office concession granted pre-handover Gurkhas settlement rights based on length of service, bravery awards and service-related medical conditions. But the strict criteria - not faced by servicemen from other foreign nations serving in the British armed forces - merely served to spur on campaigners.