Andy Burnham says 'nothing is off the table' as calls grow to deport Rochdale grooming gang leader

By CLAIRE ELLICOTT, WHITEHALL EDITOR Published: 18:46, 1 July 2026 | Updated: 18:46, 1 July 2026 Andy Burnham has said that ‘nothing is off the table’ as pressure grows for the leader of the notorious Rochdale grooming gang to be deported. The prospective prime minister weighed into the row after it emerged that Shabir Ahmed, 73, will be freed from jail on Thursday. Despite his conviction in 2012 for multiple rape and sexual offences against young girls, his victims have been told that he cannot be deported to Pakistan. They have also expressed fears for their safety once the Rochdale gang leader is out of prison after serving 14 years in jail. Ahmed had dual British-Pakistani citizenship and was stripped of his British citizenship following his conviction. Mr Burnham – who is expected to replace Sir Keir Starmer by the end of this month – has said he would ask senior ministers to find a way to deport him. He tweeted: ‘Like everyone, I want this vile criminal out of the country. Victims must come first. ‘I will ask the home and foreign secretaries to review all possible options - and they should consider nothing is off the table.’ Shabir Ahmed, 73, will be released from prison on July 2 - but cannot be deported In 2022, when he was mayor of Greater Manchester, Mr Burnham called on the Tory government ‘to do everything within [its] power’ to deport grooming gang members. The failure to deport members of grooming gangs has caused deep anger in communities and among victims. In 2012, Sir Keir – then head of the Crown Prosecution Service – oversaw the jailing of the gang. But last year, one of those jailed – Abdul Aziz – won a human rights battle that prevented his deportation to Pakistan. Justice minister Jake Richards told the BBC's Politics Live there were long-standing issues with ‘our ability to deport foreign national offenders to Pakistan’. ‘We need to try and work on that and see whether it's possible, but in this case, it seems unlikely,’ he said. When asked if the law should be changed to allow the deportation, he said: ‘I think it's very difficult to change the law to look retrospectively.’ But he added he was ‘absolutely looking at this individual and if he is to be released from prison, looking at what we are doing to ensure, firstly, to look after his victims and keeping the community safe’. Meanwhile, one victim – identified only as ‘Ruby’ – said: ‘I’m scared for my safety and my kids’ safety. ‘The main ringleader is getting out of prison, who is well known in Rochdale, Oldham and Middleton, so even if he’s not in that area, he still knows people and has a chance to talk to people from that area and that makes me unsafe.’ She said victims of abuse had been given ‘false promises’ and left to ‘fend for themselves’ through a lack of support from the authorities. Documents published online – understood to be from the Probation Service – state that he cannot be deported back to Pakistan due to provisions in the Immigration Act 1971 which bar his removal. These are that he arrived in the UK before 1973 and has lived in the UK for at least five years before his deportation was considered. A national inquiry into grooming gangs was announced earlier this year after the Government came under increasing criticism. The Home Office said Ahmed's crimes were ‘appalling’ and that he would be subject to stringent licence conditions upon his release from prison. He must initially live in supervised accommodation 24/7 and will be subject to an ‘exclusion zone’ centred on Rochdale. Ahmed was jailed for 19 years in 2012 at Liverpool Crown Court as one of nine men in the Rochdale grooming gang convicted of offences against five girls. Police said as many as 50 girls could have been victims of the gang, and that many of them had come from ‘chaotic’, ‘council estate’ backgrounds. Judge Gerald Clifton said victims were treated ‘as though they were worthless and beyond any respect’ because they were not part of the gang's community or religion. Greater Manchester Police said at the time there was no ‘racial or cultural’ element to the crimes. A report later found that police had not acted despite multiple concerns being raised. It said there had been ‘serious multiple failures’ by police and local authorities. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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