Highlights
- Andy Burnham says "all options" should be considered to deport Shabir Ahmed
- Ahmed was released from prison on Thursday (2) under an early release scheme
- A provision in the Immigration Act 1971 currently prevents his deportation
- The government is considering changes to the law
ANDY BURNHAM, widely expected to succeed Keir Starmer as Britain's next prime minister later this month, has called for the deportation of a Rochdale child abuser to Pakistan after he was released from prison on Thursday (2).
Burnham, the MP for Makerfield, who is expected to be elected unopposed later this month following Starmer's resignation, said he would "review all options" to remove Shabir Ahmed, who was convicted in 2012 of multiple rape and sexual offences against young girls.
The Rochdale child sexual abuse case, which centred on Greater Manchester, has returned to the spotlight after it emerged that Ahmed cannot currently be deported because of protections under the Immigration Act 1971.
"Like everyone, I want this vile criminal out of the country. Victims must come first," Burnham said. "I will ask the home and foreign secretaries to review all possible options – and they should consider that nothing is off the table," he said.
Ahmed, 73, who holds British and Pakistani nationality, was stripped of his British citizenship when he was sentenced to 22 years in prison by a UK court.
Shabir AhmedPhoto: Greater Manchester Police
However, a Probation Service letter sent to victims after his early release this week said that, under the Immigration Act 1971, Commonwealth citizens who arrived in the UK before 1973 and had lived in the country for at least five years cannot be deported.
The issue is also reported to be complicated by Pakistan's reluctance to accept Ahmed.
'Government explores all options'
"The government is exploring every option in this case," Sir Alan Campbell, Leader of the House of Commons, told MPs in response to a parliamentary question on Thursday.
Ahmed has been released under strict licence conditions. He is being monitored through a GPS electronic tag and is living in supervised accommodation.
"Ahmed's horrific crimes were at the heart of the grooming gangs scandal that represents one of the darkest moments in our country's history," a 10 Downing Street spokesperson said.
"He will rightly be on the sex offenders register for life, ordered to stay away from his victims and banned from contacting any child or young person. His every movement will be tracked, and he will be forced to wear an electronic tag."
The government is considering whether the Immigration Act 1971 could be amended through the Immigration and Asylum Bill, which is currently before Parliament.
Meanwhile, Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp told the BBC he plans to table his own amendment to remove the legal provision that prevents Ahmed's deportation.
Ahmed was the ringleader of a group of nine men convicted of grooming and sexually abusing teenage girls. During the trial, it emerged that some victims referred to him as "Daddy". The group gained the trust of the girls by offering takeaway food and cigarettes before giving them alcohol and sexually abusing them.
According to reports, the government is also in talks with Pakistan over the deportation of two other gang members, Qari Abdul Rauf and Adil Khan, who were stripped of their British citizenship in 2022.
The two men have challenged their removal on the basis of the right to family life under the European Convention on Human Rights.
(with inputs from PTI)
