A convicted Rochdale grooming gang ringleader has been released from prison, triggering renewed pressure on Labour to change immigration laws that are currently preventing his deportation from the UK.
Shabir Ahmed, 73, was freed on Thursday after serving 14 years of a sentence of more than 20 years for 30 child rape offences.
Despite being stripped of his British citizenship, he cannot be removed from the country under provisions in the Immigration Act 1971 that protect certain Commonwealth citizens who arrived before 1973.
The case has intensified calls for ministers to close what critics say is a legal barrier preventing the deportation of serious foreign offenders.
Political pressure escalates over deportation powers
Downing Street has asked Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to “consider what can be done” to remove Ahmed from the UK, describing the case as “particularly heinous”.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has also pledged to “review all options” to deport the “vile criminal”.
The Conservatives said they will bring forward an amendment to the Government’s immigration legislation to change the law and allow offenders such as Ahmed to be removed.
Kemi Badenoch said: “It is disgusting that the ringleader of the grooming gangs in Rochdale has been let out. He needs to be deported, and Conservatives are bringing forward an amendment to make this happen.”
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp called for tougher action against Pakistan, including visa restrictions and potential suspension of aid if the country refuses to accept deported offenders.
Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf said: “What hope do we have as a country if we cannot even deport a foreign national who was a ringleader in the Rochdale grooming gangs? Britain is utterly, utterly broken.”
Labour MPs Paul Waugh and Jim McMahon have also urged ministers to “explore every available avenue” to secure his removal.
Diplomatic deadlock complicates removal
Efforts to deport Ahmed are complicated by conflicting claims over Pakistan’s position.
Two senior Pakistani government officials told The Telegraph the country would refuse to accept him because he is no longer considered a Pakistani national, having allegedly renounced citizenship decades ago.
One official said Ahmed posed a serious safeguarding risk, arguing: “Pakistan has maintained that someone who is not a Pakistani national cannot be allowed or accepted inside the country.”
A second official said he had spent almost his entire life in the UK and reiterated that Pakistan would not accept him.
Legal dispute over citizenship status
The UK Government disputes the claim that Ahmed successfully renounced his Pakistani citizenship.
Officials say he may have believed he had given up nationality but did not complete the legal process, and insist UK records and Pakistani authorities support that position.
A Government spokesman said ministers were “doing everything possible” to deport foreign offenders, but acknowledged removals depend on cooperation from receiving countries.
Officials are also said to be considering further diplomatic pressure on Pakistan, including visa restrictions, though this is described as a “nuclear option” only to be used if negotiations fail.
Strict monitoring after release
Ahmed was convicted of abusing children as young as 12, with victims forced to call him “Daddy” and one girl reportedly abused for more than a decade.
He was stripped of British citizenship in 2016 but remains protected from deportation under the Immigration Act 1971, which exempts certain Commonwealth citizens who arrived before 1973 — a rule originally linked to Windrush protections.
Following his release, he is subject to strict conditions including GPS tagging, exclusion zones preventing him entering Rochdale or Oldham, and supervised accommodation with 24-hour staffing to alert police if conditions are breached.
Pakistan has previously refused to accept two other Rochdale grooming gang ringleaders after they renounced citizenship following their convictions, though other members of the gang have been deported.