Ministers are considering possible visa penalties against Pakistan if it continues to refuse to accept the return of convicted Rochdale grooming gang ringleader Shabir Ahmed.
Whitehall insiders said this afternoon that every measure to secure the recently released offender’s deportation remains under review, with options understood to include visa restrictions, financial penalties and the potential suspension of foreign aid.
The issue has triggered mounting anger and intensified political pressure, with both Nigel Farage and Andy Burnham calling on the Government to take whatever steps are needed to ensure Ahmed is removed from the UK.
Ahmed was freed from HMP Leeds on Thursday after serving 14 years of a 22-year sentence for 30 child rape offences.
Under the current 1971 Immigration Act, Commonwealth citizens who have lived in Britain for more than 50 years after arriving in the UK cannot be deported — a provision Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is said to be determined to overhaul.
Ahmed moved to Britain in 1967 when he was 14, meaning he is protected from deportation under the rules as they stand.
Government sources said today that ministers are examining all available routes to remove him, as they face continued resistance from authorities in Pakistan.
A Whitehall source told the Times there was no doubt the law could be changed, describing the 1971 Immigration Act as the obstacle and saying officials were exploring what might be legally and practically achievable.
Shabir Ahmed was released from prison this week amid calls for his removal to Pakistan following his crimes
Visa restrictions are among sanctions being considered by the government if diplomatic efforts fail
The Foreign Office, led by Yvette Cooper, could also pull foreign aid funding for Pakistan if they refuse to cooperate
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‘But the most important part of this is the diplomatic side of things. If that doesn’t get anywhere then we’re completely stuck in terms of being able to deport him.
‘It’s our relations with the Pakistani government where we’re going to come unstuck. It doesn’t feel hugely likely given they’ve dug their heels in on previous cases.’
A source added that it’s ‘technically true’ that visa sanctions are among the options being considered, but these are viewed as a last-resort option.
Any sanctions-based reprisals for the South Asian country would have to be led by the Foreign Office, not the Home Office.
Earlier this week, Andy Burnham riled government feathers when he publicly called on the Home and Foreign Secretaries to ‘review all possible options’, adding ‘they should consider nothing is off the table’.
One Foreign Office insider warned that Mr Burnham’s public demand that anything be done to secure Mr Ahmed will result in Britain paying a ‘high price’ to secure the outcome.
They warned that Pakistan are ‘very smart operators’ who will now hold all the cards in the negotiations.
Today Reform UK leader Nigel Farage set up the deportation of ‘monster’ Ahmed as Mr Burnham’s first crucial hurdle in office to prove to wavering voters he can address their migration concerns.
Mr Farage demanded: ‘Ahmed is not British. He’s a Pakistani national. He must be deported. But Labour say he can’t be.
‘Reform would repeal Section 7 of the Immigration Act 1971 so foreign rape gang perpetrators can be deported. And we would suspend ALL visas for Pakistanis until they agree to take back Shabir Ahmed.
‘No visit, study, work, or family visas. None. Each year, we grant around 175,000 visas to Pakistani nationals – including to some very powerful ones keen on spending time in London.
‘Their Government would agree to take back Ahmed within hours of us doing this. As with so many of the problems we face, deporting Shabir Ahmed is really about political will.
‘Andy Burnham says all options are on the table, will he act?’
A No. 10 spokesman said: ‘We have raised this issue with our counterparts in Islamabad and we are committed to doing everything possible to deport foreign national offenders, and we’re clear that they should have no place in this country.’
