London  - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown suffered a stinging parliamentary defeat Wednesday when a large number of members of his ruling Labour Party joined forces with the opposition on the emotional issue of residency rights for Gurkha soldiers.

Figures showed that 28 Labour rebels backed a motion put forward by the opposition Liberal Democrats to give all Gurkhas an equal right of residence in Britain, and a large number abstained.

As a result, the proposals were approved by 267 to 246 votes in what commentators said was a heavy blow to government plans to uphold restrictions on the Gurkhas' right to settle in Britain.

Although the motion is not binding on the government, the vote marked a humiliating first parliamentary defeat for Brown during his two years in power, commentators said.

There were shouts of "resign" as the numbers were announced.

Some 36,000 former Gurkhas have been denied residency in Britain on the technical grounds that they served in the British army before 1997.

The elite Gurkha troops, from the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal, have fought - and died - for the British army for centuries. (dpa)