Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is expected to set out proposals on Monday to amend a 1971 law that currently prevents the deportation of Rochdale grooming gang leader Shabir Ahmed. Ahmed, who was released from prison on July 2 after serving 14 years of a 19-year sentence for rape and sexual offences against girls as young as 12, has already been stripped of his British citizenship. However, the 1971 law forbids the removal of a small group of Commonwealth citizens who arrived in the UK more than 50 years ago, creating a legal barrier to his deportation.
Proposed Legislative Changes
Mahmood is expected to detail a way to close this loophole in the Immigration Act. It remains unclear whether the changes will come under separate fast-tracked legislation or as an amendment to the Immigration and Asylum Bill, which is due for debate in the Commons on Monday. A Home Office minister indicated last week that the government could consider emergency legislation, but justice minister Catherine Atkinson suggested on Monday that fast-tracking may not be imminent. Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Atkinson said, “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.”
Diplomatic Challenges with Pakistan
Despite the proposed legal changes, Pakistan is unlikely to accept Ahmed, according to sources from the Press Association. The country is reportedly demanding the extradition of two political dissidents from the UK in exchange for taking Ahmed back. Downing Street confirmed last week that the UK is “exploring every available option,” including discussions with Pakistani authorities. Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesman stated, “Any removal requires co-operation from another country to accept an individual back. Previous governments have experienced similar challenges in other grooming gang cases.”
Potential Visa Penalties
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp suggested on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the UK could impose visa restrictions on Pakistan if it refuses to accept Ahmed. “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,” Philp said. Justice minister Catherine Atkinson also indicated that Mahmood could use visa penalties as leverage, referencing her previous success with Angola, Namibia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Atkinson 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.”
