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Shabana Mahmood
MP
Official portrait, 2020
Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
Assumed office
4 September 2023
Leader Keir Starmer
Preceded by Steve Reed
Labour Party National Campaign Coordinator
In office
9 May 2021 – 4 September 2023
Deputy Conor McGinn (2021–2022)
Leader Keir Starmer
Preceded by Angela Rayner
Succeeded by Pat McFadden
Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury
In office
8 May 2015 – 14 September 2015
Leader Harriet Harman (Acting)
Preceded by Chris Leslie
Succeeded by Seema Malhotra
Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury
In office
7 October 2013 – 8 May 2015
Leader Ed Miliband
Preceded by Chris Leslie
Succeeded by Alison McGovern
Shadow Minister for Higher Education
In office
7 October 2011 – 7 October 2013
Leader Ed Miliband
Preceded by Iain Wright
Succeeded by Liam Byrne
Shadow Minister for Prisons
In office
8 October 2010 – 7 October 2011
Leader Ed Miliband
Preceded by Alan Duncan
Succeeded by David Hanson
Member of Parliament
for Birmingham Ladywood
Assumed office
6 May 2010
Preceded by Clare Short
Majority28,582 (67.9%)
Personal details
Born (1980-09-17) 17 September 1980 (age 43)
Small Heath, United Kingdom
Political party Labour
Alma mater Lincoln College, University of Oxford
Website Official website

Shabana Mahmood ( Urdu: شبانہ محمود; born 17 September 1980) is a British Labour Party politician and barrister who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Ladywood since 2010. She has served in the Shadow Cabinet of Keir Starmer as Shadow Secretary of State for Justice from September 2023. She previously served as National Campaign Co-ordinator from 2021 to 2023, and briefly as Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury in 2015.

Mahmood graduated in 2002 with a BA from Lincoln College, University of Oxford, and went on to complete the Bar Vocational Course at the Inns of Court School of Law in 2003 after receiving a scholarship. As a barrister, her specialism is in professional indemnity. Her selection as the Labour Party candidate for Birmingham Ladywood caused some dissent in the constituency party, but was found by an inquiry led by a member of the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party to be legitimate.

In 2010, Mahmood was elected as MP for Birmingham Ladywood, becoming one of the UK's first female Muslim MPs, along with Rushanara Ali and Yasmin Qureshi. Mahmood has spoken about how her faith is the most important thing in her life, and said that it is the motivation for her to undertake public service.

Early life and career

Shabana Mahmood was born on 17 September 1980 in Birmingham, [1] [2] [3] the daughter of Zubaida and Mahmood Ahmed. [1] She has a twin bother. [4] From 1981 to 1986 she lived with her family in Taif, Saudi Arabia, where her father was working as a civil engineer working on desalination. [1] [4] After that, she was brought up in Birmingham, where, having failed the eleven-plus, she attended Small Heath School and King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls. [5] [6] [3] [4]

Her mother worked in a corner grocery shop that the family bought after returning to England. [4] Her father became chair of the local Labour party, [7] and as a teenager, Mahmood helped him with campaigning in local elections. [8] In an interview with Nick Robinson in 2024, Mahmood said that although politics "had always been part of [her] life", her ambition when younger was to be a barrister, and cited the example of the fictional Kavanagh QC. [9]

Mahmood studied law at Lincoln College, Oxford and was the president of the Junior Common Room (JCR). [10] In 2023 she recalled that Rishi Sunak, who would go on to became Prime Minister, was in the year above her at Lincoln College, and had promised to vote for her in the JCR election. [8]

She graduated in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, and went on to complete the Bar Vocational Course at the Inns of Court School of Law in 2003, [3] having received a scholarship from Gray's Inn. [11] [12] She is a qualified barrister, whose specialism is in professional indemnity, [13] and worked at 12 King's Bench Walk from 2003 to 2004, and at Berrymans Lace Mawer from 2004 to 2007. [3] She lived in Stratford, London during her twenties. [4]

Parliamentary career

Clare Short, the incumbent MP for Birmingham Ladywood, decided not to contest the 2010 general election. [14] Mahmood and a local councillor, Yvonne Mosquito, both sought the Labour Party nomination. [14] In the vote of constituency Labour Party (CLP) members to select the candidate, Mahmood secured 118 votes while Mosquito received 99. [15] Supporters of Mosquito claimed that up to 30 members were prevented from voting for her following a rule change affecting eligibility. [15] According to the political scholars Parveen Akhtar and Timothy Peace, "This led to the CLP being temporarily split on race lines between Asian and Afro-Caribbean factions, demonstrating the complicated ethnic tensions at play in some U.K. constituencies." [14] Mahmood said that she did not feel that the local party was divided in this way, and commented that "I know there is a line out there about divisions, my experience doesn't mirror that in any way." [16] [17] An inquiry led by National Executive Committee of the Labour Party member Mike Griffiths found that Mahmood's victory was legitimate. [15]

At the 2010 general election, Mahmood was elected as MP for Birmingham Ladywood with 55.7% of the vote and a majority of 10,105. [18] [19] [20] [21] Along with Rushanara Ali and Yasmin Qureshi, Mahmood became one of the UK's first female Muslim MPs. [5] Mahmood served a number of front bench positions under Ed Miliband's leadership, including Shadow Minister for Prisons, Shadow Minister for Higher Education, and Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury. [22]

In 2011, it was reported that Mahmood was on the list of people spied on by private investigator Derek Webb for the News of the World, which was seeking information about the people of most interest to their readers. [23]

At the 2015 general election, Mahmood was re-elected as MP for Birmingham Ladywood with an increased vote share of 73.6% and an increased majority of 21,868. [24] Following the election, Mahmood was appointed to the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury. [25] She was a co-chair of the campaign to elect Yvette Cooper in the 2015 Labour Party leadership election, and made a pledge to avoid negative briefing during the campaign. [26]

In September 2015, following Jeremy Corbyn's election as Labour leader, Mahmood stepped down from the role, saying she "strongly disagreed" with him on the economy. [27] In January 2016, Mahmood was elected to represent the Parliamentary Labour Party on Labour's National Executive Committee, and was re-elected in July 2016. [28] [29] She was offered a place in Corbyn's shadown cabinet, but declined, telling him that "I'll be miserable, and I'll make you miserable as well." [8] In November 2016, Mahmood was elected one of the vice chairs of Labour's National Policy Forum. [30] She supported Owen Smith in the failed attempt to replace Jeremy Corbyn in the 2016 Labour Party (UK) leadership election. [31]

In October 2015, Mahmood was one of the winners of the women's magazine Marie Claire's Women at the Top Awards. [32]

At the snap 2017 general election, Mahmood was again re-elected with an increased vote share of 82.7% and an increased majority of 28,714. [33]

Mahmood was again re-elected at the 2019 general election with a decreased vote share of 79.2% and a decreased majority of 28,582. [34] After Labour's election loss, Mahmood was asked to commission a review launched by Labour Together of the party's election performance. [35] Consequently, she did not nominate any candidate for the 2020 Labour Party leadership election or deputy election.

In the May 2021 British shadow cabinet reshuffle, Mahmood returned to the Shadow Cabinet as Labour Party National Campaign Coordinator, replacing Angela Rayner in the role. [36] Peter Walker of The Guardian considered that Mahmood and The Labour's campaign director Morgan McSweeney had improved the campaign organisation and use of data by the party by 2023. [37]

In September 2023, Keir Starmer appointed Mahmood, seen as an ally of his, as Shadow Secretary of State for Justice. [38] [39] She was replaced as campaign co-ordinator by Pat McFadden. [39] In a 2024 interview with Gabriel Pogrund of The Sunday Times, Mahmood said, "My faith is the centrepoint of my life and it drives me to public service, it drives me in the way that I life my life and I see my life." [4] She lives next door to her parents. [4]

Also in September 2023, Mahmood was named as the UK's twentieth most powerful left wing figure by the New Statesman. [40]

References

  1. ^ a b c "About Shabana Mahmood". Shabana Mahmood's website. Archived from the original on 14 December 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  2. ^ "About". Shabana Mahmood's website. Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d Dods Parliamentary Companion 2018. London: Dods. 2017. ISBN  9781908232274.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Pogrund, Gabriel (30 March 2024). "Faith, Gaza and racism, by Labour MP who could become justice secretary". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 31 March 2024.
  5. ^ a b Adetunji, Jo; Tran, Mark (7 May 2010). "General election 2010: first female Muslim MPs elected". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  6. ^ "Shabana Mahmood MP". Shabana Mahmood's website. Archived from the original on 5 September 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2010. Retrieved 7 December 2011
  7. ^ Swain, Harriet (28 November 2011). "Shabana Mahmood, the shadow universities minister, is eager for battle". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  8. ^ a b c Zeffman, Henry (8 April 2023). "PM once voted for woman trying to oust him; Shabana Mahmood, the Labour campaign chief, knows Sunak from their days at Oxford". The Times. p. 10.
  9. ^ Political Thinking with Nick Robinson: Series 1:67. The Shabana Mahmood one. BBC iPlayer. 10 February 2024. Event occurs at 8:47. Archived from the original on 24 April 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  10. ^ Roy, Amit (7 April 2010). "Feisty Asians in UK poll fray". Kolkata Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 June 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  11. ^ "Gray's Inn". The Times. 31 January 2003. p. 42.
  12. ^ Cross, Michael (4 September 2023). "Barrister Mahmood takes over Labour's justice team". The Law Society Gazette. Archived from the original on 24 April 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  13. ^ "Shabana Mahmood". politics.co.uk. Archived from the original on 15 December 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  14. ^ a b c Akhtar, Parveen; Peace, Timothy (2019). "Ethnic minorities in British politics: candidate selection and clan politics in the Labour Party". Journal of Ethnic & Migration Studies. 45 (11): 1902–1918. doi: 10.1080/1369183X.2018.1443804.
  15. ^ a b c "Labour NEC rules in favour of Shabana Mahmood in Ladywood selection row". Birmingham Mail. 14 January 2009. Archived from the original on 23 April 2024. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  16. ^ Walker, Jonathan (19 June 2008). "Ladywood not divided by race or religion – candidate". Business Live. Archived from the original on 24 April 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  17. ^ Walker, Jonathan (20 June 2008). "Ladywood not divided by race or religion – candidate". Birmingham Post. p. 4.
  18. ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  19. ^ "Statement of Persons Nominated and Notice of Poll 2010" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
  20. ^ "BBC NEWS – Election 2010 – Birmingham Ladywood". BBC News. Archived from the original on 23 August 2017. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
  21. ^ General Election 2010 Archived 24 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine Birmingham City Council
  22. ^ "Shabana Mahmood MP | Women in the Humanities". wih.web.ox.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 15 December 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  23. ^ Robinson, James (9 November 2011). "NoW's alleged surveillance targets range from royalty to sport". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 April 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  24. ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  25. ^ "Shabans Manmood: Parliamentary career". Parliament UK. Archived from the original on 18 May 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  26. ^ Perraudin, Frances (16 June 2015). "No negative briefing in Labour contest, urges Yvette Cooper aide". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  27. ^ Walker, Jonathan (15 September 2015). "Birmingham MP resigned because she 'strongly disagreed' with Corbyn on economy". Birmingham Mail. Archived from the original on 22 November 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  28. ^ Walker, Jonathan (27 January 2016). "Birmingham MP Shabana Mahmood represents Labour MPs on party's ruling committee". Birmingham Mail. Archived from the original on 4 April 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  29. ^ "Corbynistas and rebels make NEC gains as Skinner steps down". LabourList. 4 July 2016. Archived from the original on 9 January 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  30. ^ Thornton, Glenys (19 November 2016). "Great that my dear friend Ann Cryer has been elected Chair @UKLabour NPF and wonderful @ShabanaMahmood as vice chair #great labour women". Twitter. Archived from the original on 19 July 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  31. ^ "Full list of MPs and MEPs backing challenger Owen Smith". LabourList. 21 July 2016. Archived from the original on 15 July 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  32. ^ Rice, Francesca (1 October 2014). "Our Women At The Top Award Winners Share Their Top Career Advice". Marie Claire. Archived from the original on 25 July 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  33. ^ "Statement of Persons Nominated and notice of poll". Birmingham City Council. Archived from the original on 8 February 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  34. ^ "Statement of Persons Nominated and notice of poll". Birmingham Mail. 12 December 2019. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  35. ^ Chappell, Elliot (23 December 2019). "Labour Together launches commission to learn from 2019 election". LabourList. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  36. ^ Rodgers, Sienna (14 May 2021). "Reshuffle: Keir Starmer's new Labour frontbench in full". LabourList. Archived from the original on 8 December 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  37. ^ Walker, Peter (13 May 2023). "'We've got everything in place': Shabana Mahmood on Labour's election hopes". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 May 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  38. ^ Stone, Jon (4 September 2023). "Labour reshuffle: Keir Starmer's new shadow cabinet in full". independent.co.uk. Independent. Archived from the original on 6 September 2023. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  39. ^ a b Fouché, Alexandra; Sharp, Heather (eds.). "Angela Rayner gets new role as Keir Starmer reshuffles Labour team". BBC News. Archived from the original on 20 January 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  40. ^ Statesman, New (17 May 2023). "The New Statesman's left power list". New Statesman. Archived from the original on 15 November 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2023.

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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Birmingham, Ladywood
2010–present 		Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury
2015 		Succeeded by
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