Shabir Ahmed avoided deportation back to Pakistan due to provisions under the Immigration Act 1971
Kemi Badenoch has demanded Labour “get behind” her call to deport a Rochdale grooming gang ringleader after he was released from jail today.
Shabir Ahmed, 73, is now free after serving 14 years for the rape and sexual abuse of young girls, but cannot currently be removed from the country.
Ahmed once held dual British-Pakistani citizenship, but was stripped of the former following his 2012 conviction.
He dodged deportation under provisions of the Immigration Act 1971, which protects arrivals in the UK prior to 1973 who have lived here for at least five years.
Following his release, GB News understands Ahmed has been fitted with a GPS-enabled electronic tag and is being kept in secure accommodation.
Calls to see the ringleader deported have been rampant as the date of his release approached, with Mrs Badenoch also supporting his removal.
“It is absolutely disgusting that this man has been let out... He should be deported,” the Tory leader insisted.
“We are seeing that a lot of people are exploiting the kindness of our country. I want to see some common sense.
“We're going to do everything within our power to make sure that he is, but we're going to need the government to get behind us.
“That is the Labour government, whether it's Keir Starmer or Andy Burnham.
“What I want to see is them agreeing with us so that we can get that amendment through."
Conservative Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp had previously said his party would pursue new parliamentary measures to see the infamous gang ringleader deported.
Mr Burnham, the expected successor to Sir Keir as Prime Minister, has also demanded Ahmed's deportation.
“Like everyone, I want this vile criminal out of the country. Victims must come first,” he wrote on X.
“I will ask the Home and Foreign Secretaries to review all possible options – and they should consider nothing is off the table,” he added.
Labour’s Sir Alan Campbell, the Leader of the House of Commons, has insisted the Government was “exploring every option in this case”.
However, the Prime Minister's spokesman said this morning: “On this specific case, we cannot deport someone who is protected by the 1971 Immigration Act. These are the same provisions which have protected many individuals caught up in the Windrush crisis.”
Mrs Badenoch said the case should be an opportunity for parliamentarians to work together for a better outcome.
“We need to start talking about what we're doing now for the country," he said.
The Tory leader despaired over “arguments about who didn't do what in the past, spending too much time arguing rather than fixing things... I want us to start fixing things".