Shamima Begum returning to Britain would be 'the worst thing that could ever happen to this country', Labour warned

Begum, 26, who had her British citizenship revoked after leaving east London over a decade ago to join Islamic State, is currently being held at the al-Roj detention camp in north-east Syria.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), supported by the US and responsible for running the IS detention facilities, are losing ground to Syrian government troops amid heavy fighting in the area.

Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former jihadist fighter turned statesman, negotiated a ceasefire with the SDF after swiftly capturing much of the Kurdish-controlled north-east in a rapid military advance.

Over 9,000 experienced IS fighters, along with around 40,000 women and children linked to the group including dozens of Britons are currently being held in makeshift prisons and camps.

The SDF’s withdrawal has sparked fears that these detainees, described by Western officials as a “potential terror army in waiting,” could escape if control in the region collapses including Ms Begum.

Speaking to Britain's News Channel Mr Mughal said: "This is a troubling case because I was initially of the opinion that she should be left where she is she made the choice.

"But what I can’t get away from, and what is deeply troubling, is that she was still a minor at the time. I know many minors who absorbed ISIS radicalisation and later changed.

"Now, she may not be a minor, and she may have years of inculcation in that ideology, but she was a minor when she went over. That complicates this case and makes the issue even more difficult.

"My opinion on adults, 18 and over, who joined IS is clear: you went, you went. You’re not coming back.

"It doesn’t matter whether you have repented, you’re not coming back. But the fact she was a minor introduces complexity, and that’s where I am stuck right now.

"Keir Starmer does things that any reasonable Government might not, and sometimes the opposite.

"So frankly, at this moment in time, I am concerned. If they bring Shamima into this country now, I think it would be the worst decision for the British public."She needs to be kept out until, and if, they can ensure she is not a risk.

"Bringing her back now would not be acceptable to the British public, it would not be right, and I don’t think it is morally acceptable.

The Londoner was just 15 when she and two friends left Bethnal Green to travel to Syria and join Islamic State.

Ms Begum, who later married an ISIS fighter and had children, was discovered in a Syrian refugee camp in 2019. Her British citizenship was immediately revoked by then-Home Secretary Sajid Javid on national security grounds, triggering a lengthy legal battle.

Earlier this month, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) formally asked the Home Office whether it had violated human rights and anti-trafficking laws when it stripped Begum of her UK citizenship.

The latest intervention has provoked a major backlash, with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood pledging to defend the Government’s original decision.

Conservative MP and Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said he will demand assurances from Ms Mahmood in the House of Commons that Shamima Begum will not be allowed to return.

He also called on her to contest the case “tooth and nail".

Mr Philp described ISIS as a “violent terrorist regime that brutally murdered their opponents and raped thousands of women and girls".