Home Secretary to set out plans for deportation of grooming gang ringleader - but Pakistan doesn't want him back
The Home Secretary is due to set out changes to the law to allow for the deportation of Rochdale grooming gang leader Shabir Ahmed.
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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 2 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 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.
Ms 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.
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It is not clear whether Ms 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.
Pakistan is not expected to accept Ahmed.
The country is demanding the extradition of two political dissidents from the UK in order to do so, according to reports last week.
Downing Street said the UK was “exploring every available option” including speaking to Pakistani authorities.
Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesman said on Thursday: “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.”