Shabana Mahmood to set out plans to change law to deport grooming gang leader

The UK home secretary is due to set out changes to the law to allow for the deportation of Rochdale grooming gang leader Shabir Ahmed.

Shabana Mahmood is expected to set out proposals on Monday to amend a 1971 law preventing the removal of Ahmed, who was released from prison earlier this month.

However, it is understood that Pakistan is unlikely to take him back.

Ahmed was released on July 2nd after serving 14 years since his conviction in 2012 for rape and sexual offences against girls, some as young as 12. He had been sentenced to 19 years in prison.

The British government has been examining ways to deport him since his release last week. The 1971 law forbids the removal of a small group of Commonwealth citizens who arrived in the UK more than 50 years ago.

Mahmood is expected to detail a way to close the loophole in the Immigration Act which prevents his deportation even though he has already been stripped of his British citizenship.

It is not clear whether Mahmood’s planned changes will come under separate fast-tracked legislation or as an amendment to the Immigration and Asylum Bill, which is due to be debated in the Commons on Monday.

A Home Office minister indicated last week that the Government could consider emergency legislation.

But another minister on Monday appeared to signal that fast-tracking the move may not be on the cards.

“I haven’t seen any emergency legislation, but the Government has been clear that it will take the steps needed to try and ensure that we are able to do what we want to do and not have men like this in our country,” justice minister Catherine Atkinson told BBC Breakfast.

Pakistan is not expected to accept Ahmed, the Press Association understands.

The country is reportedly demanding the extradition of two political dissidents from the UK in order to do so.

Downing Street said last week the UK was “exploring every available option” including speaking to Pakistani authorities.

Keir Starmer’s official spokesman said: “Any removal requires co-operation from another country to accept an individual back.

“Previous governments have experienced similar challenges in other grooming gang cases.”

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, shadow home secretary Chris Philp said of Pakistan: “If they don’t take him back, we can say: well, we’re simply going to stop or restrict issuing visas to people from Pakistan to come here.

“That, by the way, should apply to any country around the world who doesn’t take back its own citizens who are criminals or here illegally.”

Atkinson appeared to suggest the home secretary could put pressure on Pakistan with visa penalties.

She told the same programme: “She has been absolutely clear that this Government will take action to see Shabir Ahmed removed, and we’ve seen the success that she has had when it comes to removals in previous cases.

“I think she threatened visa penalties for Angola, Namibia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo unless they took back illegal immigrants. And four months later, all three were co-operating.”