The British government has begun changing a law that has so far blocked the deportation of convicted grooming gang leader Shabbir Ahmed to Pakistan.Home Minister Shabana Mahmood announced in parliament on Monday that the government would amend the Immigration Act 1971 to remove legal protections for serious offenders such as Ahmed.Ahmed was recently released from prison in 2012 for repeatedly raping and sexually assaulting young girls. The case sparked widespread criticism because he could not be deported due to a 1971 law that protects some Commonwealth citizens who arrived in the UK before 1973.Ahmed was the leader of a gang of nine men who groomed and sexually abused young girls. The group reportedly gained the trust of victims by offering takeaway food and cigarettes before providing them with alcohol and sexual assault.Speaking in the House of Commons, Mahmoud said she took action in response to the widely reported case of Shabbir Ahmed, the leader of the evil grooming gang.Mahmoud told MPs: “Our amendment will give the Home Secretary a new power to repeal section 7 of the Immigration Act 1971 for serious criminals.”“This provides protection for long-term UK residents but clearly should not be a barrier to a ban on evictions in cases such as Shabbir Ahmed’s.“The threshold for this power will be tied to the power to strip citizenship, which will only apply in extremely serious cases,” she said.Mahmoud, whose family has South Asian roots, acknowledged that changing the law alone would not ensure Ahmed’s deportation.Pakistan has reportedly refused to accept Ahmed, and discussions between the two countries include linking his return to the extradition of Pakistani dissidents living in the UK.“It’s important to note that this does not guarantee his deportation from the country. As does those who say otherwise [Conservative Party] “They know everything from their own experience,” Mahmoud told parliament.“Foreign Secretary [Yvette Cooper] I will continue to pursue deportation through all avenues. I know everyone here is thinking about the victims and survivors of this despicable criminal,” she said.The proposed amendments are part of a wider Immigration and Asylum Bill, which the government says aims to make the asylum system fairer for genuine refugees while speeding up deportations of those who are here illegally.Ahmed is currently living in monitored accommodation and will be tracked by a GPS tag upon release from prison.The proposal to oust him has the support of all political parties.The opposition Conservative Party has called for swift action against what it calls “despicable gang rapists who should be deported to Pakistan”.“I would just ask the Home Secretary not to do that by amending this Bill, which could take a year or so to get regulations. I hope she will consider delivering this through emergency legislation in September, which could be completed within weeks,” shadow home secretary Chris Philp said in parliament.Other MPs also urged the government to take swift action against what they said was an “evil and abhorrent” criminal whose abuse of young girls in Oldham and Rochdale has shocked communities across the north of England.“The facts are this: he has been stripped of his British citizenship. He has no right to stay here except through the loophole in the Immigration Act 1971, which will now be closed thanks to the action of our Home Secretary. ” said Oldham MP Jim McMahon.Rochdale MP Paul Waugh demanded: “I know this is just the beginning and even if the law changes, Pakistan may still say it refuses to take this person back. Whatever diplomatic barriers there are, they must be challenged and every possible avenue must be explored.”Andy Burnham, who is expected to succeed Keir Starmer as Britain’s next prime minister, also backed Ahmed’s deportation. Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester, has been one of the strongest voices calling for action.“Like everyone, I want this despicable criminal to leave the country. The victims must come first. I will ask the Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary to examine all possible options and they should consider that nothing is impossible,” he said recently.Ahmed, 73, who holds British and Pakistani citizenship, was called “Dad” by his victims during the trial. When he was sentenced to 22 years in prison, he was stripped of his British citizenship.However, a letter from the Probation Service informing victims of their release revealed that under the Immigration Act 1971, Commonwealth citizens who arrived in the UK before 1973 and have lived there for at least five years cannot be deported.The British government is also reportedly seeking to deport two other convicted gang members, Qari Abdul Rauf and Adil Khan, who were stripped of their British citizenship in 2022. Both are challenging their expulsions on the basis of provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights that protect the right to family life.Mahmoud’s bill also includes measures to strengthen the use of such appeals for convicted criminals seeking to prevent deportation.
