Harry Taylor

The Home Secretary plans to amend the Immigration and Asylum Bill to remove protections preventing the deportation of serious criminals, enabling attempts to remove Rochdale grooming gang leader Shabir Ahmed. The government is considering visa restrictions to pressure Pakistan, which has so far resisted accepting him. Ministers acknowledged that changing the law will not guarantee deportation without Pakistan’s cooperation. Opposition figures called for faster legislative action, while MPs stressed strong public interest in Ahmed’s removal and the failures experienced by his victims.