Home Secretary to Outline Deportation Plan for Grooming Gang Leader
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is set to announce on Monday the legal measures she intends to implement to deport Shabir Ahmed, the freed ringleader of a Rochdale grooming gang.
Ahmed was sentenced to 22 years in prison in 2012 after being convicted of multiple child sexual offences, including rape. He was released on licence earlier this month.
There have been widespread calls across the political spectrum for Ahmed's deportation. He was stripped of his British citizenship following his conviction, leaving him solely with Pakistani nationality.
However, Ahmed cannot currently be deported due to a 1971 law that prohibits the removal of certain Commonwealth citizens who arrived in the UK more than 50 years ago.
The specifics of how Mahmood plans to amend the law remain unclear.
Additionally, Pakistan appears unwilling to accept Ahmed, who claims to have renounced his Pakistani citizenship.
Background of the Case
Ahmed was among nine men from Rochdale and Oldham convicted of exploiting girls as young as 13 at two takeaway restaurants.
Following his release from prison, Ahmed was placed in accommodation staffed around the clock and fitted with a GPS electronic monitoring tag.
The government has stated that Ahmed will be returned to prison if he violates any of the strict licence conditions imposed upon him.
Some of Ahmed's victims have expressed feelings of fear and insecurity following his release.
At the time of his release, victims were informed that deportation was not possible due to the Immigration Act of 1971, which bars the removal of any Commonwealth citizen who arrived in the UK before 1973 and has been resident for at least five years.
Despite having his British citizenship revoked, Ahmed remains exempt from deportation under this legislation.
Legal and Political Responses
The Home Secretary will detail the legal steps intended to address this issue.
The timeframe for changing the law is uncertain, though a government source has previously indicated it could take up to a year.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp has suggested that sanctions could be imposed on Pakistan if it refuses to accept Ahmed.
"We can use things like visa sanctions, meaning we would stop issuing visas... to countries that don't take back their citizens," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
The Conservative Party is advocating for emergency legislation or an amendment to the current immigration bill progressing through Parliament, arguing that altering the 1971 Act could take too long.
Philp stated that emergency legislation could result in a law change "in a matter of weeks whereas regulation legislation might take more like a year."
On Thursday, a spokesperson for Sir Keir Starmer told reporters, "we are exploring every available option in this case, and that includes talking to the Pakistani authorities."
Context and Related Developments
The forthcoming announcement from Mahmood follows a recent call from survivors of grooming gangs urging that sex offenders be excluded from early release provisions.
- Survivors urge no early release for sex offenders
- UK to change law so ringleader of Rochdale grooming gang can be deported
