Labour MPs demand Rochdale grooming gang leader Shabir Ahmed is banned from the whole North West and Yorkshire as ministers scramble to try and deport him

By GREG HEFFER, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT Published: 12:56, 10 July 2026 | Updated: 12:56, 10 July 2026 Labour MPs are demanding that Rochdale grooming gang leader Shabir Ahmed is banned from the whole of North West England and Yorkshire. In a letter to David Lammy, the Justice Secretary, MPs from areas in which Ahmed committed his offences have warned he remains an 'unrepentant risk to society'. Ahmed was released from prison on July 2 after serving 14 years since his conviction in 2012 for rape and sexual offences against girls, some as young as 12. The 73-year-old, known to his victims as 'Daddy', has been told he must initially live at a bail hostel which is staffed 24 hours and wear an electronic GPS tag. Ahmed is not allowed at his last known address on Windsor Avenue in Oldham and is also subject to an 'exclusion zone' meaning he cannot go to parts of Rochdale. In their letter to Mr Lammy, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, the MPs called for the exclusion zone to be extended to the entire North West and Yorkshire. They said they had concerns about 'the lack of any meaningful reform in Ahmed’s attitudes or character' and said he continues to pose an 'ongoing risk' to the public. It comes as Government ministers continue their scramble to find a way to deport Ahmed from Britain.  Labour MPs are demanding that Rochdale grooming gang leader Shabir Ahmed is banned from the whole of North West England and Yorkshire The MPs – Jim McMahon (Oldham West), Paul Waugh (Rochdale) and Elsie Blundell (Heywood and Middleton North) – said they had 'serious concerns' about the 'robustness' of Ahmed's release plan. They told Mr Lammy how, during a meeting with Probation Service officials this week, they had 'raised concerns about the limited geographical restrictions being proposed, given the network of associates that Shabir Ahmed could potentially draw upon'. 'We requested that these restrictions be reviewed and sought confirmation that Oldham would be included within the exclusion zone,' the MPs wrote in a letter published by The Telegraph. 'We further requested that the exclusion zone be extended to cover the North West and Yorkshire or, at the very least, the whole of Greater Manchester. 'We also raised concerns about the lack of any meaningful reform in Ahmed's attitudes or character, particularly in relation to his offending and his attitude towards victims, and women and girls in general, which we believe continues to pose a real and ongoing risk to the public.' Ahmed has been stripped of his British citizenship leaving him with only Pakistani nationality. But he cannot be deported due to a 1971 law that forbids the removal of a small group of Commonwealth citizens who arrived in the UK more than 50 years ago. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is expected to set out proposals on Monday to amend the law preventing his removal from the UK. This is despite suggestions Pakistan is unlikely to accept him because it claims he has renounced his Pakistani citizenship. It has also been reported the country is demanding the extradition of two political dissidents from the UK in order to take back Ahmed. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's spokesman this week declined to comment on 'speculation about specific proposals'. 'We are exploring every available option in this case, and that includes talking to the Pakistani authorities,' the official told reporters on Thursday. 'But as we've set out previously, this is a complex case with both domestic and international implications.' 'Any removal requires co-operation from another country to accept an individual back. Previous governments have experienced similar challenges in other grooming gang cases.' Tory shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: 'Last year, the Government gave Pakistan almost 150,000 visas. Now Pakistan is refusing to take one single criminal back. 'This is total weakness from Labour and a humiliation. Ministers must show some backbone and ensure Shabir Ahmed is removed from our country. Vile rapists and paedophiles who come here from overseas should all be deported. 'The Conservatives are clear: any country that refuses to take back its criminals or illegal migrants must face visa sanctions, and withdrawal of foreign aid.'