UK to change law so ringleader of Rochdale grooming gang can be deported

UK to change law so ringleader of Rochdale grooming gang can be deportedPublished8 July 2026, 18:06 BSTUpdated 2 minutes agoThe home secretary will change the law so the freed ringleader of a Rochdale grooming gang can be deported, the BBC has been told.As first reported by the Telegraph, Shabana Mahmood is expected to set out on Monday how she plans to amend the 1971 Immigration Act which currently stops Shabir Ahmed being removed from the UK.Ahmed, 73, was jailed for 22 years in August 2012 for a number of child sexual offences including rape. He was released on licence last week.Known to his victims as "Daddy", Ahmed had dual British-Pakistani citizenship but was stripped of the former following his 2012 conviction.This week his victims were told that Ahmed could not be deported to Pakistan because the 55-year-old law bars his removal.This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X, external to get the latest alerts.