Who is Shabana Mahmood ? UK’s first woman Pak-origin home secretary

Shabana Mahmood has been appointed the new home secretary of the United Kingdom after the latest cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Mahmood’s appointment comes after former home secretary Angela Rayner’s resignation. With this appointment, Mahmood has become the first Muslim woman to be appointed as the UK’s home secretary.

The home department is responsible for immigration, policing, and national security. Political experts see the appointment as the UK’s increasing focus on immigration and law-and-order issues.

Who is Shabana Mahmood?

Mahmood was born in Birmingham in 1980 to Pakistani parents. She spent some part of her childhood in Saudi Arabia before returning to the UK. She attended Lincoln College, Oxford, where she studied law, and went on to train as a barrister specialising in professional indemnity cases.

She entered politics in 2010 when she was elected as MP for Birmingham Ladywood, becoming one of the UK’s first female Muslim MPs. Mahmood stepped away from the Labour frontbench during Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership but returned under Starmer’s leadership.

According to Sky News, the new home secretary supports stronger deportation measures and has raised concerns over child exploitation cases.

In 2023, she was appointed shadow justice secretary and later became justice secretary and lord chancellor after Labour’s 2024 election victory. As part of her role, she introduced early prisoner release schemes aimed at reducing overcrowding in jails.

Now, as home secretary, Mahmood faces certain challenges, including She will have to manage asylum backlogs, deportation cases, grooming gang inquiries, and the urgent need for police reform. Sky News has reported that she supports stronger deportation measures and has voiced concerns about child exploitation cases.

Significance of the appointment

Mahmood’s rise reflects the Labour Party’s strategic priorities and its effort to connect with voters seeking tougher action on crime. She is often described as part of Labour’s ‘Blue Labour’ wing, known for socially conservative positions on law and order.