Shabana Mahmood’s path to the heart of government began on a Birmingham sofa in the 1990s, where political debates and cups of tea flowed in equal measure. As the daughter of Mahmood Ahmed, then chair of Birmingham Labour party, she quickly earned a reputation as someone who could cut through chaos with clarity even as a teenager.
According to former deputy Labour leader Tom Watson, who often joined her father and other party organisers to untangle West Midlands political dilemmas, Mahmood would emerge from the kitchen with tea and sharp political insights. “She would give them the line, clearly and concisely,” Watson recalled.
Now, more than two decades on, Mahmood has brought that same no-nonsense approach to the Ministry of Justice. As lord chancellor, she made headlines last week for intervening in the Sentencing Council’s plans to allow ethnicity or faith to be considered as mitigating factors in sentencing. In a bold move, she threatened legislation if the council did not back down prompting it to reverse the guidance swiftly.
The move not only showed her willingness to challenge judicial norms but also caught the opposition flat-footed. Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick had sought to criticise the council’s guidance as creating “two-tier” justice, but Mahmood’s decisive action neutralised his attack.
With a barrister’s background, deep Labour roots, and growing cabinet clout, Mahmood is emerging as one of the most quietly formidable figures in Starmer’s government.
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