For the first time in the UK’s history, a person of Pakistani and Muslim heritage has been appointed to the powerful position of Home Secretary. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has named Kashmiri and Pakistani-origin Shabana Mahmood to the role, which oversees immigration, policing, and national security. The announcement followed the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.
“It is the honour of my life to serve as Home Secretary. The first responsibility of the government is the safety of its citizens. Every day in this job, I will be devoted to that purpose,” Mahmood said.
Born in Birmingham in 1980 to Kashmiri-Pakistani parents, Mahmood spent her early years in Saudi Arabia before returning to the UK. She earned a law degree from Lincoln College, Oxford, and qualified as a barrister specializing in professional indemnity cases. Her political career began in 2010 when she was elected as an MP for Birmingham Ladywood, becoming one of the first female Muslim MPs in the UK. Since then, she has held several key roles, including Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Shadow Minister for Prisons.
Mahmood has been vocal about the challenges she has faced, including harassment and intimidation from members of the local Pakistani community and, more recently, racist and Islamophobic attacks from far-right extremists following her new appointment.
After winning the 2024 election, she was appointed Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor, where she introduced schemes to address prison overcrowding and court backlogs. This past week, she presented major legislation to Parliament aimed at reforming the UK’s prison system. As Home Secretary, she is now tasked with managing record Channel crossings, asylum hotels, and broader migration pressures.
She has also addressed immigration policy, stating that without curbs on migration and strong rules, the UK risks becoming a “nation of people estranged from one another.” Earlier this summer, she said the European Convention on Human Rights needs to be reformed to regain public confidence. As Justice Secretary, she also proposed a law to immediately deport foreign criminals who receive a custodial sentence.
Her appointment has been welcomed by some, including the founder of Blue Labour, Lord Glasman, who called the move “fantastic.”
