Rochdale's Labour MP Paul Waugh writes why MPs must be prepared to do whatever it takes to protect victims of abuse

Shabir Ahmed's release from prison today is another painful reminder of one of the darkest chapters in Rochdale's history.

For victims of abuse, today's headlines are not about politics. They are about trauma. They are about knowing that the man who tried to destroy their childhoods is once again walking free.

Ahmed was the ringleader of the Rochdale grooming gang. He was convicted of the serial rape of young white girls and the repeated rape of a young Asian girl.

His crimes were horrific. His victims were failed for years by institutions that should have protected them.

That is why many people will struggle to understand why he cannot simply be deported.

Ahmed should be removed to Pakistan. Instead, an outdated legal provision dating back more than 50 years prevents it.

Because he was resident in Britain before January 1, 1973, the Immigration Act 1971 protects him from deportation despite the horrific crimes for which he was convicted.

That law was never intended for cases like this. It was written for a different era and a different purpose.

It was meant to give rights to law-abiding Commonwealth citizens who came here to graft hard, not exempt vile sex offenders from deportation.

Yet today it produces an outcome that most people would regard as plainly wrong.

That is why I have urged the Home Secretary and the Foreign Secretary to explore every legal and diplomatic option to remove Ahmed from this country.

I was pleased that ministers confirmed in Parliament that every option is being examined.

But if every available route leads back to the same legal barrier, then Parliament should change the law.

I believe the Home Secretary should have stronger powers to deport foreign nationals and former dual nationals convicted of the most serious sexual offences.

There should not be legal loopholes that keep dangerous offenders in Britain when there is a lawful route to remove them.

This week, along with fellow MPs Elsie Blundell and Jim McMahon, I have held urgent meetings with officials and ministers to get assurances about Ahmed's licence conditions and to press for more action more broadly.

This is not about scoring political points. It is about restoring public confidence and, above all, putting victims first.

Within weeks of becoming Mayor of Greater Manchester in 2017, Andy Burnham has shown real leadership on this issue.

After seeing the harrowing drama 'Three Girls' about the Rochdale scandal, he ordered independent inquiries that later vindicated the whistleblowers and the survivors, and helped convict several paedophiles involved.


I am encouraged that he has signalled he too will leave no stone unturned to get these dangerous predators deported.

Ever since I was elected, I have pressed ministers to pursue the deportation of every grooming gang offender who can legally be removed from the UK.

Where diplomatic barriers exist, they must be challenged. Where legal barriers exist, they should be reviewed. Every possible avenue should be explored.

We need accountability too, especially for the police and council failures that allowed paedophiles like Ahmed to commit their crimes.

I was among the first MPs to support a national inquiry into grooming gangs and hope that Baroness Longfield and her team can deliver the accountability that survivors deserve.


Today's release is also a reminder that justice does not end when a prison sentence does.

Victims live with the consequences long after offenders are released. Many fear coming face-to-face with the men who abused them.

Many still carry the scars of being ignored by authorities who failed to listen when they first cried for help.

Their voices should remain at the centre of every decision we make.

Ahmed's licence conditions, including the ban on entering Rochdale or Oldham, are important safeguards.

If he breaches them, he should be sent straight back to prison immediately.

For too long, the victims of grooming gangs have carried the burden of institutional failure. We owe them more than sympathy. We owe them action.

If this case has exposed a loophole that undermines public confidence and offends basic common sense, then we should close it.

If there are quicker ways of booting him out of the country, we should explore those too.

We must do whatever it takes to get justice for the victims and to protect them and others from these dangerous perverts.