Home Secretary set to change law so Rochdale grooming gang ringleader can be deported

Freed grooming gang ringleader Shabir Ahmed was stripped of his British citizenship but the child sex offender cannot be returned to Pakistan due to the 1971 Immigration Act (Collected Photo)

The Home Secretary is set to change the law so the released ringleader of the Rochdale grooming gang can be deported.

Shabana Mahmood is pushing to boot out child sex offender Shabir Ahmed and is expected to announce amended legislation on Monday.

The 73-year-old was stripped of his British citizenship but cannot be returned to Pakistan due to being protected by the 1971 Immigration Act.

It exempts people from deportation if they came to Britain before 1973 and have lived in the UK for at least five years.

Ms Mahmood is expected to unveil a way to close that loophole without jeopardising the right to remain of other Commonwealth citizens, including Windrush migrants from the Caribbean.

Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary who drafted a proposed amendment to close the loophole, told That: “Shabir Ahmed’s crimes were vile and he must be urgently deported back to Pakistan.

“The Conservatives led the calls for his deportation, developing a detailed plan to change the law.

“I am glad Labour have finally U-turned and agreed to do what we proposed days ago. They must do this in emergency legislation so we don’t lose any more time.”

Ahmed, 73, was freed from prison last week after serving 14 years of a 22-year sentence for 30 child sex offences, including rape.

But the Government is facing a difficult task to remove him, even with a potential law change, as Pakistan has so far refused to take him back.