Nigel Farage Wants Pakistani Grooming Gang Ringleader Deported and Threatens Visa Ban if Pakistan Refuses

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has called for the deportation of Shabir Ahmed and threatened visa restrictions on Pakistan after the Rochdale grooming gang ringleader was released from prison this week. Ahmed, 73, was freed after serving 14 years of a 22-year sentence for child rape and other sexual offences.

Farage said in a post on X that Reform would repeal Section 7 of the Immigration Act 1971 if it entered government. He also said Pakistan should face visa restrictions if it refuses to take Ahmed back, presenting the case as a test of the party's immigration policy.

Legal Barriers Block Pakistani National Deportation

The UK government says it cannot deport Ahmed because of the Immigration Act 1971, which still protects certain Commonwealth residents who arrived before 1973. Shabir Ahmed was stripped of British citizenship but remains in the UK under that legislation, prompting Prime Minister Keir Starmer to ask Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to review the case.

Shabir Ahmed, who was known as 'Daddy' by his victims, was jailed for 14 years in August 2012 for 30 child rape offences and other sexual crimes. Victims were told of his release through social media posts, while the Home Office said he is now on strict licence with a GPS tag and an exclusion zone covering Rochdale.

Pakistan has refused to take Ahmed back, saying he is not recognised as one of its citizens. That has left the UK government facing a diplomatic and legal deadlock as ministers look at ways to change the law.

Farage's Visa Threat And Reform UK's Wider Crackdown

Farage said Reform would suspend all visas for Pakistani nationals if Islamabad refuses to take Ahmed back, including visit, study, work and family visas. The party has previously set out a broader plan for what it calls a 'visa freeze' on countries that fail to cooperate with deportation requests, with Pakistan among the states named in that policy.

Reform has also argued that the threat would give the UK leverage in return negotiations, with the policy linking visa access to whether foreign governments accept deported citizens. The party has said it would replace indefinite leave to remain with a renewable five-year work visa and create a new deportation agency with the capacity to detain 24,000 migrants at a time, placing Ahmed's case inside a much wider immigration crackdown.

Victims' Fears And Growing Political Pressure

Victims of Ahmed have reported living in fear since his release. The Maggie Oliver Foundation, founded by whistleblowing former detective Maggie Oliver, works to support and advocate for survivors of childhood sexual abuse and exploitation.

Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has called for all possible options to be explored to deport Ahmed, while Farage set the case as Burnham's first crucial hurdle to prove he can address migration concerns.

Deportation Deadlock Over Rochdale Ringleader

Ahmed remains in Britain under strict supervision while the legal battle over his deportation continues. He will be on the sex offenders register for life, banned from contacting any child or young person, and prohibited from returning to Rochdale. Section 7 of the Immigration Act 1971 exempts Commonwealth migrants arriving before 1973 from deportation, which is the core legal barrier preventing Ahmed's removal.

Foreign national offender rules currently prevent the government from removing him, though ministers are committed to doing everything possible to deport such individuals. Section 7 guards the deportation rights of Commonwealth citizens who arrived before 1973, but Farage wants to repeal it. The government is considering potential visa sanctions for Pakistan if it continues refusing to cooperate.