MAHMOOD TO AMEND 1971 IMMIGRATION ACT TO ENABLE AHMED DEPORTATION

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is planning to change the Immigration Act to allow the deportation of Shabir Ahmed, the ringleader of the Rochdale grooming gang. Ahmed was released from prison last week after serving 14 years of a 22-year sentence for 30 child rape offences. The 1971 Immigration Act currently prevents his removal from Britain, as he arrived before 1973 and has lived in the UK for at least five years. Mahmood is expected to announce the legislative amendment on Monday, coinciding with the second reading of the immigration and asylum bill.

The government source stated that officials have identified a way to close the legal loophole without affecting the right to remain of other Commonwealth citizens, including the Windrush generation from the Caribbean. Ahmed cannot currently be returned to Pakistan despite having been stripped of British citizenship, as Pakistan has refused to take him back. A junior Home Office minister indicated the government could consider emergency legislation to facilitate deportation. Conservative MP Robbie Moore told Parliament that such legislative changes would likely receive cross-party support.

A government source acknowledged that whilst a domestic legislative fix is available, the outcome depends on Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office negotiations with Pakistan. Home Office minister Alex Norris told Parliament that all options remain under consideration but cautioned that the matter is more complex than straightforward legislative change. The deportation process will ultimately hinge on whether Pakistan agrees to accept Ahmed's return.