Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will set out the legal measures the government plans to use to deport a convicted Rochdale grooming gang leader released from prison earlier this month. Some victims have expressed fear over the release. Shabir Ahmed received a 22-year sentence in 2012 for multiple child sexual offences, including rape. He was freed on licence in July after serving part of his term. Political calls for his removal have grown across parties. Although stripped of British citizenship after conviction, he cannot be deported due to safeguards in the Immigration Act 1971. The government confirmed Mahmood will announce intended legal steps, but details on changes or timelines remain undisclosed. Ahmed was among nine men from Rochdale and Oldham convicted of exploiting girls as young as 13 at local takeaways. After release he was placed in staffed accommodation and fitted with a GPS tag, with return to prison threatened for any breach of conditions. Victims described feeling unsafe. The 1971 Act blocks removal of certain Commonwealth citizens who arrived before 1973 and lived here for five years or more. Despite losing citizenship, Ahmed stays protected under these rules. It remains unclear how ministers will amend the law. One source indicated changes could take up to a year. Pakistan has also been cited as a potential barrier, reportedly unwilling to accept Ahmed, who claims to have renounced his Pakistani citizenship. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp suggested visa restrictions on Pakistan if it refuses to cooperate, extending the approach to any country that fails to take back its criminal nationals. Conservatives have urged emergency legislation or amendments to the current Immigration Bill, arguing delays would be too long. Philp said such steps could deliver changes within weeks. Victims Minister Catherine Atkinson said emergency powers have not been ruled out. She noted the government’s determination to resolve the case and recalled Mahmood’s earlier success using visa threats to secure returns from Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Last week a Downing Street spokesperson said all options, including talks with Pakistani authorities, were under review. The announcement follows recent calls from grooming gang survivors for convicted sex offenders to be barred from early release.
