Who is Shabana Mahmood? Pak-origin barrister is UK's 1st Muslim woman Home Secretary

Who is Shabana Mahmood?

Shabana Mahmood has been appointed as the new Home Secretary in Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s cabinet reshuffle, succeeding Yvette Cooper following Angela Rayner’s resignation.

With this role, Mahmood assumes one of the great offices of state at a critical time, as record Channel crossings, asylum hotel usage, and broader migration challenges dominate the political agenda.

Mahmood becomes the first Muslim woman to head the Home Office, overseeing immigration, policing, and national security. Observers view her promotion as a sign that Starmer’s government aims to strengthen its focus on immigration and law-and-order issues.

The Rt Hon Shabana Mahmood MP @ShabanaMahmood has been appointed as Secretary of State for the Home Department @UKHomeOffice. pic.twitter.com/HUKQh8wnDT

— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) September 5, 2025

Who is Shabana Mahmood?

Shabana Mahmood, born in Birmingham in 1980 to Pakistani parents, spent part of her early childhood in Saudi Arabia before returning to the UK. She studied law at Lincoln College, Oxford, and qualified as a barrister specializing in professional indemnity cases.

Elected MP for Birmingham Ladywood in 2010, Mahmood became one of the UK’s first female Muslim MPs. She has held several key shadow roles, including Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Shadow Minister for Prisons, stepping away briefly during Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership before returning under Keir Starmer.

It is the honour of my life to serve as Home Secretary. The first responsibility of government is the safety of its citizens. Every day in this job, I will be devoted to that purpose. https://t.co/w3UxrNLb2p — Shabana Mahmood MP (@ShabanaMahmood) September 5, 2025

Following Labour’s 2024 election victory, she served as Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor, introducing early prisoner release schemes to tackle jail overcrowding and addressing court backlogs.

Now appointed Home Secretary, Mahmood faces challenges including asylum backlogs, deportations, police reform, and grooming gang inquiries.

Often associated with Labour’s “Blue Labour” wing, she emphasizes law-and-order policies while maintaining progressive ties, guided by what she calls “common sense” politics and inspired by her faith.

As Justice Secretary, Mahmood proposed a law to ensure foreign criminals are deported immediately upon receiving a custodial sentence, supporting the Home Office’s push to increase returns of migrants without legal status.

Announcing the plan, she said, “If you abuse our hospitality and break our laws, we will send you packing. Deportations are up under this government, and with this new law, they will happen earlier than ever before.”

Her appointment has been praised by Blue Labour founder Lord Glasman, who told Politico it was “fantastic” and that “she’s now clearly the leader of our part of the party.” Earlier this year, Mahmood told former Tory minister Michael Gove that she identified with the socially conservative Blue Labour group.