Burnham demanded that the gang leader be fired

Andy Burnham says he will ask the Home and Foreign Secretaries to “review all options” to deport the notorious Rochdale supporter.

Shabir Ahmed

Ahmed held dual British-Pakistani citizenship and was stripped of his British citizenship after being convicted of a crime.

The Home Office said it was working with other government departments to explore options on the matter.

Burnham, who is expected to replace Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister later this month, has said he wants Ahmed out of the country.

But documents shared online, reportedly from the Probation Service, say Ahmed cannot be deported to Pakistan under a law that prevents him from resigning.

Ahmed’s victims said they feared for their safety ahead of his expected release from prison.

Posted on X, ExternalBurnham wrote: “Like everyone else, I want this vicious criminal out of the country. The victims must come first.

“I’m asking the home and foreign secretaries to review all possible options – and they should consider that nothing is off the table.”

In response, a Home Office spokesman said: “We are committed to doing everything we can to deport FNOs (foreign criminals) and it is clear that they should have no place in this country.”

“As previous governments have found, this necessarily involves the agreement of the host country, which is not always possible.

But we are currently working with colleagues in government to explore all possible options in this regard.

In the year When Burnham was mayor of Greater Manchester in 2022, he called on the Conservative government to do everything in its power to get rid of gang members who were milking the country.

Earlier on Wednesday, Justice Minister Jake Richards told BBC Politics Live that there were long-standing issues about “the ability to deport foreign nationals to Pakistan”.

“We want to try and work on that and see if it’s possible, but in this case, it seems unlikely,” Richards.

When asked if the law should be changed to deport Ahmed, Richards said, “I think it’s very difficult to look back on the law.”

But he added: “We are looking at this individual fully and if he is to be released from prison, we are looking at what we will do first and foremost to take care of the victims and to keep the community safe.”

One victim, called “Ruby”, is being supported by the Maggie Oliver Foundation, set up by Maggie Oliver, a former police detective who tipped off the gang.

“I fear for my safety and the safety of my children,” Ruby said in the statement.

“The ringleader is coming out of prison, he’s popular in Rochdale, Oldham and Middleton, so even if he’s not in that area he knows people and has the opportunity to talk to people in that area and that makes me feel insecure.”

Oliver told BBC News’ Night Ruby: “She’s very scared, but she feels rethought.”

The Home Office said Ahmed’s previous offenses were “deplorable” and that he would be subject to strict license conditions upon his release.

Ahmed will initially have to live in a shelter with 24/7 supervision and will be subject to an “exclusion zone” based in Rochdale.

The papers published online said Ahmed could not be deported to Pakistan due to provisions of the 1971 Immigration Act.

The law states that because Ahmed came to the UK before 1973 and lived in the country for at least five years before his deportation is considered, he is barred from being removed from office.

Ahmed He was jailed for 19 years at Liverpool Crown Court in 2012 and was one of nine men accused of crimes against five girls at the Rochdale Grooming Gang trial.

Police say up to 50 girls may have been victims of the gang, with many from “messy”, “council estates”.

Judge Gerald Clifton said the victims were not part of the gang’s community or religion and were treated “as worthless and without any dignity”.

Greater Manchester Police said at the time there was no “racial or cultural element” to the crimes.

A report later confirmed that the police did not act despite several concerns. He said there had been “serious failings” by police and local authorities.