Laws that could pave the way to deport Rochdale grooming gang leader Shabir Ahmed have been set out by the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, as she said she would remove protections for criminals held by some Commonwealth citizens.
Ms Mahmood announced that she would change the Immigration and Asylum Bill, which is passing through the Commons, to remove immunity under the 1971 Immigration Act which would prevent Ahmed being deported.
It came as the Government indicated on Monday that Pakistan could be threatened with visa restrictions unless it takes back Ahmed.
Ms Mahmood admitted in the Commons on Monday that despite the potential law change, she would be unable to deport him unless Islamabad agrees to do so.
Ahmed was released on July 2 after serving 14 years since his conviction in 2012 for rape and sexual offences against girls, some as young as 12.
He had been sentenced to 19 years in prison.
The Government has been examining ways to deport him since his release last week.
The 1971 law forbids the removal of Commonwealth citizens who arrived in the UK more than 50 years ago.
The Home Office said the Bill’s powers could also be extended to cover terrorists, human trafficking, and other violent or dangerous criminals.
Ms Mahmood said: “On the subject of deporting foreign criminals, the Government intends to bring forward an amendment to this Bill in response to the widely-reported case of the vile grooming gang leader Shabir Ahmed.
“Our amendment will provide the Home Secretary with a new power to disapply Section 7 of the Immigration Act 1971 for serious criminals. This provides protections for long-term UK residents, but clearly should not be acting as a bar against removal in cases like that of Shabir Ahmed.
“The threshold for this power would be tied to the power to deprive citizenship, which applies only in cases of exceptional severity. It is important to note this does not guarantee his removal from this country, those opposite know all too well from their own experience that.
“The Foreign Secretary and I will continue to work all avenues to pursue a deportation.”
The Bill’s second reading was being debated on Monday evening. Amendments would come later in the process at committee and report stage.
Chris Philp said the Conservatives support efforts to remove Ahmed by changing the law.
But the shadow home secretary urged the Government to consider emergency legislation, rather than waiting until the 75-page Immigration and Asylum Bill is agreed.
“There’s not a moment to lose and this can quite quickly be fixed,” he added.
On Monday The Prime Minister’s official spokesman acknowledged that changing the law was only the first step in deporting Ahmed.
The spokesman said: “The country of origin must agree to take these vile criminals back and that’s why we’re working across government to explore every option in this case.”
Asked if that included the possibility of refusing to issue visas, the spokesman said: “I think we’ve been clear that all options remain on the table where countries don’t co-operate on the return of their nationals.”
Victims’ minister Catherine Atkinson told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the threat of visa restrictions has produced results before.
She said the Home Secretary “has been absolutely clear that this Government will take action to see Shabir Ahmed removed, and we’ve seen the success that she has had when it comes to removals in previous cases”.
“I think she threatened visa penalties for Angola, Namibia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo unless they took back illegal immigrants,” she said.
“And four months later, all three were co-operating.”
Pakistan is not expected to accept Ahmed, the Press Association understands.
The country is reportedly demanding the extradition of two political dissidents from the UK in order to do so.
Paul Waugh, Labour MP for Rochdale, told the Commons: “Whatever diplomatic barriers exist, they must be challenged.
“Every possible avenue must be explored.”
He described the “public interest” in favour of deportation as “clear in this case”, and added Ahmed’s “victims were failed for years by the institutions that should have protected them”.
He also said: “I can tell you that the people of Rochdale, whatever their racial background, are united in their disgust at paedophiles like Ahmed.”
