BURNHAM PLEDGES TO EXPLORE DEPORTATION OPTIONS FOR ROCHDALE GANG LEADER

Andy Burnham, Labour leader-in-waiting, stated he would examine "all possible options" to close a legal loophole preventing the deportation of Shabir Ahmed, a Rochdale grooming gang leader due for release from prison on 2 July. Burnham said nothing would be "off the table" in Ahmed's case, describing him as a "vile criminal" and emphasising that victims must take priority. The statement represented Burnham's first significant intervention since his expected appointment as prime minister on 20 July. Burnham instructed the home and foreign secretaries to review all available possibilities for Ahmed's removal from the United Kingdom.

Ahmed, 73, was sentenced to 22 years in prison in 2012 after conviction on 30 child rape charges involving girls as young as 13. He was known as "Daddy" and played a key role in the Rochdale grooming gang, which operated with as many as 50 victims. Victims were informed in 2012 that Ahmed would face deportation to Pakistan, his country of birth, after his conviction. The government this week confirmed that provisions of the Immigration Act 1971 prevent his deportation, as he arrived in the United Kingdom before 1973 and had lived there for at least five years before deportation was considered. Ahmed has been stripped of British citizenship. Upon release, he will be subject to a licence requiring him to remain outside Rochdale, with recall to prison if he breaches the restrictions.

Alex Davies-Jones, who resigned as the government's victims' minister in May, described the situation as "horrific" and called for victims' voices to be heard in criminal justice reform. Claire Waxman, the victims' commissioner, noted that victims had been informed of Ahmed's expected deportation, only to receive incorrect information. The case highlights a significant gap in deportation law affecting those who entered the country before 1973.