As the premiership of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer teeters on the brink of collapse, Westminster’s rumour mill has shifted its gaze toward a potential history-making successor: Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.
Mahmood, a close ally of Starmer and one of Labour’s most prominent front-bench figures, is increasingly being viewed as a top-tier contender for the party leadership should Starmer be forced to step aside. If elevated, she would become the United Kingdom’s first Muslim prime minister — a landmark moment in British political history.
The sudden focus on Mahmood comes amid a deepening crisis triggered by the release of Epstein-related files in the United States, revelations that have sent shockwaves through governments across Europe and beyond. In the UK, the fallout has proved especially destabilising for Starmer’s leadership.
Shabana Mahmood, 45, is a lawyer-turned-politician and a key figure within the Labour Party’s leadership circle. Known internally as a persuasive speaker and an ambitious operator, she is positioned on the right wing of the party — a stance that has helped her bridge Labour’s centrist and traditional bases.
Born in Birmingham to Zubaida and Mahmood Ahmed, Mahmood traces her family roots to Pakistan and Mirpur in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. She studied law at Lincoln College, Oxford, graduating in 2002, and completed the Bar Vocational Course at the Inns of Court School of Law the following year, qualifying as a barrister.
Her parliamentary career began in 2010, when she became one of the first female Muslim MPs, alongside Rushanara Ali and Yasmin Qureshi — a milestone that marked a generational shift in British politics.
Since assuming office as home secretary in 2025, Mahmood has overseen one of the government’s most politically sensitive portfolios: border security and migration control.
Mahmood’s political appeal lies in a paradox that has drawn both praise and criticism. As a Muslim politician, she is seen by some party strategists as uniquely positioned to reconnect Labour with pro-Palestine voters and others who drifted away after the party unequivocally backed Israel’s military actions — actions that several global bodies have described as genocide.
At the same time, her policy record as home secretary has been notably hardline. She recently unveiled controversial proposals to tighten the pathway to permanent residency — known as Settlement or indefinite leave to remain — arguing that it is “a privilege, not a right.” The BBC has described this dual positioning as both politically shrewd and, to critics, hypocritical.
The leadership speculation follows a catastrophic week for Keir Starmer, whose future now hangs in the balance after controversy erupted over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to Washington.
Revelations concerning Mandelson’s past ties to convicted paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein — who died in a New York jail in 2019 — have triggered a firestorm within the ruling Labour Party. The crisis intensified when Starmer’s chief of staff and closest aide, Morgan McSweeney, resigned, taking “full responsibility” for Mandelson’s appointment in an apparent bid to shield the Prime Minister.
However, many Labour MPs remain unconvinced. According to Bloomberg, several believe Starmer must “own the error” himself rather than allowing aides to absorb the blame.
With approval ratings at historic lows and opinion polls describing Starmer’s position as “weak and vulnerable,” some senior aides have privately suggested it is “50-50” whether he will even last the week.
As pressure mounts, Westminster insiders say contingency plans are quietly being discussed — and at the centre of that conversation is Shabana Mahmood, a figure who could redefine both Labour’s future and the face of British leadership.
Leave Your Comment