UK Amends Immigration Law to Deport Grooming Gang Leader

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced an amendment to the Immigration and Asylum Bill to enable the deportation of Shabir Ahmed, a ringleader of the Rochdale grooming gang. Ahmed, who was released from prison on July 2 after serving 14 years for rape and sexual offenses, had been stripped of his British citizenship but remained protected from removal by Section 7 of the Immigration Act 1971. This law shields certain Commonwealth citizens who arrived in the UK over 50 years ago.

The new legal power allows the Home Secretary to disapply these protections in cases of "exceptional severity," a category that include human traffickers and terrorists. While the amendment closes the legislative loophole, Mahmood noted that it does not guarantee Ahmed's removal, as deportation depends on the cooperation of Pakistan.

The Government of Pakistan has reportedly refused to accept Ahmed, describing UK efforts as reflecting a "colonial mindset." Reports indicate Pakistan is demanding the extradition of two political dissidents from the UK in exchange for taking Ahmed back. To compel cooperation, the UK government is exploring several options, including restricting Pakistani visas or withholding £50 million in foreign aid. Justice Minister Catherine Atkinson stated that all options remain on the table for countries that do not cooperate on the return of their nationals.

Beyond the case of Ahmed, the government is pursuing the deportation of other gang members, Qari Abdul Rauf and Adil Khan, and introducing tighter restrictions on human rights appeals used to block removals.