Home Office looks at law change to deport freed grooming gang leader Shabir Ahmed

A Home Office minister announced that the department is reviewing legislation that could enable the deportation of Shabir Ahmed, a foreign national who was released from prison earlier this month after a Court of Appeal decision overturned his terrorism conviction. Ahmed, who had been serving a sentence for involvement in a 2017 plot to attack a public venue, was freed pending a retrial, prompting officials to consider whether existing immigration rules provide sufficient authority to remove individuals deemed a security risk once they are no longer incarcerated.

The minister said the review will assess possible amendments to the Immigration Act that would allow the Home Office to deport persons whose criminal convictions are later quashed but who remain subject to national security concerns. The proposal is expected to be discussed with parliamentary committees in the coming weeks, and the department will issue further guidance on the scope and timing of any legislative changes.