U.K. to change law to allow deportation of convicted pedophile who led grooming gang

Shabir Ahmed was stripped of his British citizenship following his 2012 conviction, but a 1971 law prohibits the removal of Commonwealth nationals who, like Ahmed, arrived in Britain before 1973

Interior minister Shabana Mahmood announced plans Monday to change U.K. law to allow a convicted pedophile who led a so-called grooming gang to be deported following his release from prison. Shabir Ahmed was jailed in 2012 for 22 years for multiple child sexual offences including rape when he was the ringleader of a gang of similarly predatory men targeting girls in Rochdale, northern England. He left prison on licence earlier this month under the country’s early release program.

He was stripped of his British citizenship following his conviction, leaving him with only Pakistani nationality, but a 1971 immigration law has prevented his deportation. It prohibits the removal of Commonwealth nationals who, like Ahmed, arrived in Britain before 1973. Announcing the law would be changed through an amendment to the Immigration and Asylum Bill working its way through parliament, Mahmood told MPs it would ensure “the vilest foreign criminals” can be deported.

“In response to the widely reported case of the vile grooming gang leader, Shabir Ahmed, our amendment will provide the Home Secretary with a new power to disapply Section 7 of the Immigration Act 1971 for serious criminals,” she said. “This provides protections for long-term U.K. residents but, clearly, should not be acting as a bar against removal in cases like that of Shabir Ahmed.” However, Mahmood noted this does not guarantee his removal, with Pakistan required to agree to accept him back.

The U.K. media has reported that Islamabad has refused to do so. She added that ministers were continuing “to explore all avenues to pursue a deportation”. Opposition parties have demanded the government pressure Pakistan to comply, arguing it should threaten to cut overseas aid and impose other penalties if it refuses.

The “grooming gangs” scandal has become a potent political issue in Britain. Over the course of several decades, in various English towns, men of mostly South Asian origin systematically abused thousands of mostly white girls from working-class families, often from troubled homes. More than 100 people have been convicted of the crimes, but official reports have blamed authorities for failing to intervene for fear of being seen as racist.

Far-right figures, including Stephen Yaxley-Lennon — better known as Tommy Robinson — have used the scandal as a rallying cry against multiculturalism and immigration. Prime Minister Keir Starmer last year announced a national inquiry focused on the issue, which has also attracted the attention of US billionaire Elon Musk.