Helen Corbett

The Home Secretary announced plans to amend the Immigration and Asylum Bill to remove protections in the 1971 Immigration Act that currently prevent the deportation of serious Commonwealth offenders, specifically enabling attempts to deport Rochdale grooming gang leader Shabir Ahmed. Despite the legislative change, deportation remains dependent on Pakistan agreeing to accept him, with the government considering measures including potential visa restrictions to secure cooperation. Ministers cited previous success using similar pressure on other countries, while MPs called for urgent action and stressed the strong public interest in removing Ahmed following his release after serving 14 years for rape and sexual offences.