Tories offer Mahmood a way to deport Rochdale grooming gang ringleader after he was freed from prison

Published: 01:45, 6 July 2026 | Updated: 01:54, 6 July 2026 The Conservatives have offered the Home Secretary a way to deport Rochdale grooming gang ringleader Shabir Ahmed following his release from jail. Pakistani-born Ahmed - who was stripped of his British citizenship in 2016 - was freed from prison last week after serving 14 years of his 22-year sentence for multiple counts of rape and sexual offences against girls. However, under sections of the Immigration Act 1971 and the UK Borders Act 2007, the removal of Commonwealth citizens such as Ahmed is prevented - even if they are convicted of serious crimes. Now, shadow home secretary Chris Philp has urged his Labour counterpart Shabana Mahmood to consider his proposed changes to emergency legislation which, if rushed through Parliament, could mean the imminent removal of Ahmed to Pakistan. Mr Philp has proposed repealing two sections of the Immigration Act 1971 which grant protection from deportation to any Commonwealth citizen who arrived in Britain before 1973 and who has resided here for more than five years. The UK Borders Act 2007 - which repeats this exemption - would also need repealing. This would ensure Ahmed is treated as any other foreign criminal, who automatically faces deportation if jailed or receives a suspended prison sentence of one year or more. The amendments outline that the legislation changes should be retrospectively applied to ensure offenders like Ahmed who committed crimes more than a decade ago are considered. Mr Philp said Britain 'cannot allow' Ahmed to remain in the country. Rochdale grooming gang ringleader Shabir Ahmed was freed from prison last week after serving 14 of his 22-year long sentence. Under current legislation, Pakistani-born Ahmed cannot be deported Shadow home secretary Chris Philp (pictured) has urged Labour to consider proposed changes to emergency legislation which could mean the imminent removal of Ahmed to Pakistan Mr Philip has asked Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood (pictured) to consider changes to both the Immigration Act 1971 and the UK Borders Act 2007 He said: 'Shabir Ahmed is a vile rapist who organised a gang of Pakistani-origin men to systematically gang rape girls as young as 12. 'Despicable men like this have no place in the UK, and he must be urgently deported back to Pakistan. 'That's why we'll table a technical amendment to the Government's immigration bill to close the legal loophole dating back to 1971 preventing his deportation.' Mr Philp added that the bill should be introduced as emergency legislation, therefore ensuring it can be 'passed through Parliament in days'. Ahmed was released from HMP Leeds last Thursday after serving 14 years of the 22-year sentence handed to him in 2012 for 30 child rape offences. He was one of nine men convicted of sexual offences against multiple children in Rochdale, who they groomed at two takeaway restaurants. Prosecutors identified Ahmed as one of the ringleaders. A court heard he abused one girl for more than 10 years, using her as a 'possession' for his own sexual gratification. Health Secretary James Murray previously told Sky's Trevor Phillips he wants 'this man out of the country'. Police launched their first investigation into child grooming in Rochdale in 2007. Ahmed was convicted in 2012 The other eight members of a Rochdale grooming gang who were convicted in 2012 of  offences including rape, trafficking and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with children He said: 'I know that this is a job for the Home Secretary and the Foreign Secretary to work out the exact way of getting him deported. I'm not going to step on their toes by suggesting exactly how they should do that. 'But I don't think they would object to me saying that as a government we should leave no stone unturned.' When asked if that could mean threatening to withhold aid money from Pakistan or blocking remittances being sent by Pakistanis in Britain back to their home country, Mr Murray added: 'I'm not going to speculate on exactly what mechanisms the Home Secretary and the Foreign Secretary might use. 'That is their responsibility to think through the best way of getting the outcome we all want, which is this man to be out of our country.' Reform UK's Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick said Britain must pause aid and visas to Pakistan and put 'maximum pressure on the Pakistani government' in order to deport Ahmed. The Newark MP told Trevor Phillips: 'You've got to use all the levers of the British state to get these despicable people out of the country. 'And I'm afraid to say successive governments, Conservative and Labour, have just been too weak. 'We are not a weak country. We do have ways of doing this – we're giving around 80 million quid every year in aid to Pakistan. The Home Office issues tens of thousands of visas to Pakistanis. 'We should be pausing the aid, pausing the visas, putting maximum pressure on the Pakistani government to take this man back.' However, Andy Burnham - who is tipped to be the next Prime Minister - was criticised last week after publicly calling on the Home and Foreign Secretaries to 'review all possible options', concerning Ahmed's deportation, adding 'they should consider nothing is off the table'. Andy Burnham (pictured) received criticism when he publicly called on the Home and Foreign Secretaries to 'review all possible options' surrounding Ahmed's deportation One Foreign Office insider warned of Mr Burnham's public demand that anything be done to secure Ahmed's deportation will result in Britain paying a 'high price' to ensure the outcome. They said Pakistan are 'very smart operators' who would therefore hold all the cards in future negotiations. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has also urged that the deportation of 'monster' Ahmed be Mr Burnham's first crucial task in office. Mr Farage said: 'Ahmed is not British. He's a Pakistani national. He must be deported. But Labour say he can't be. 'Reform would repeal Section 7 of the Immigration Act 1971 so foreign rape gang perpetrators can be deported. And we would suspend ALL visas for Pakistanis until they agree to take back Shabir Ahmed. 'No visit, study, work, or family visas. None. Each year, we grant around 175,000 visas to Pakistani nationals - including to some very powerful ones keen on spending time in London. 'Their Government would agree to take back Ahmed within hours of us doing this. As with so many of the problems we face, deporting Shabir Ahmed is really about political will. 'Andy Burnham says all options are on the table, will he act?' At the time, a No.10 spokesman said: 'We have raised this issue with our counterparts in Islamabad and we are committed to doing everything possible to deport foreign national offenders, and we're clear that they should have no place in this country.' 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. 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