Nepal UK
British Ambassador to Nepal Rob Fenn called on Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Singha Durbar on Monday 2 November, and the two discussed enhancing cooperation, "including the issue of pensions for Gurkha soldiers", according to the minister's secretariat. Climate change, climate finance, resilient economic development and the COP31 climate summit were also on the agenda.
The published readout announces no decision, offer or timetable on pensions. It is therefore best read as a sign of the agenda rather than a policy change, and readers should be cautious about any claim of a breakthrough. Nepal's foreign minister has said his delegation will prioritise the mountain agenda, climate finance and climate justice at COP31.
A relationship with several tracks
The pensions question is the one most familiar to British Gurkha families, but the relationship has other strands that have moved in recent weeks.
On the economic side, 17 Nepali technology companies took part in the Nepal Tech Roadshow UK and reported nearly 30 business leads, according to members of the Nepal Association for Software and IT Services Companies. The roadshow was supported by the UK-funded NiB programme, and the delegation invited the ambassador to NASIT Expo 2026 in Kathmandu, which the report placed in November. Whether those leads become contracts is unknown; the figure comes from the companies themselves.
On disaster response, the August floods on the Bhote Koshi-Trishuli system prompted both official and community action in Britain. The UK government's £5 million emergency aid package was cited at a 6 September gathering in Gillingham organised by Gurkha Nepali Society Medway, where a cheque was handed over for Nepal's Prime Minister's Relief Fund; Medway Council's leader and several civic figures attended. British Gurkhas Nepal held Dashain events in Kathmandu, Pokhara and Dharan in October that honoured those who died.
On the military and charitable side, around 90 personnel from the three services took part in a Doko Race at the Army Training Centre Pirbright on 28 October to raise funds for the Gurkha Welfare Trust. Corporal Ayush Rai of the Gurkha Training Company Catterick won the individual title and his unit the team competition.
What to watch
For British Nepali families, the practical issue is whether the pensions discussion produces anything beyond the existing positions of both governments. I have not found a UK government statement on the 2 November meeting, and neither side has published a follow-up timetable. For businesses, the NASIT Expo and any conversion of the roadshow leads will be the first test of the commercial track. For community groups, the flood-relief fundraising shows the diaspora's capacity to mobilise at speed, and the question for the coming weeks is how reconstruction funds are accounted for.
The common thread is that UK–Nepal ties are no longer defined only by the Gurkha connection. A climate-finance agenda ahead of COP31 and a small but growing technology-services link now sit beside it. Whether the pensions issue moves depends on decisions in London that have not yet been announced.
Last verified update: 5 November 2026. The 2 November meeting is the only item here from the past three days; the other items are background and are dated.
