Shabana Mahmood, the UK’s shadow home secretary, is facing increasing calls to address a legal loophole that prevents the deportation of Shabir Ahmed, a convicted member of a Rochdale grooming gang. Ahmed, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison in 2012 for multiple offenses involving the rape and sexual exploitation of children, is due for release imminently but cannot be removed from the country due to protections under the Immigration Act 1971.

Ahmed, 73, originally from Pakistan, arrived in the United Kingdom before 1973, qualifying him for a provision within the Act that exempts certain Commonwealth citizens who entered before that year from deportation. Although Ahmed was stripped of his British citizenship in 2016, this legal anomaly currently prevents the authorities from deporting him. Officials have noted that if Ahmed leaves the UK, he would be barred from re-entry.

Members of the opposition Conservative Party have vowed to propose amendments to the government’s Immigration and Asylum Bill seeking to remove such protections and enable the deportation of individuals convicted of serious sexual offenses, regardless of when they arrived in the country. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary for the Conservatives, emphasized the need for urgent legislative change to prevent offenders like Ahmed from remaining in the UK after serving their sentences.

A Home Office spokesperson confirmed that Ahmed’s movements will be closely monitored upon his release and stated that any breach of release conditions would result in his immediate re-imprisonment. The case has reignited debate over the balance between immigration protections and public safety, with calls for reform aiming to ensure that foreign offenders, particularly those convicted of child sexual abuse, can be removed from the country to protect communities.