Starmer appointed Mahmood to blunt Reform’s rise – but can she reassure British Jews?

Of all the issues that matter to voters, money in their pockets and immigration usually rank highest. Mahmood’s promotion indicates Downing Street’s confidence in her ability to handle a critical portfolio of responsibilities.

The Oxford-educated MP is on the right of the party and has been described as socially conservative. She resigned from the shadow cabinet after Jeremy Corbyn’s election as leader saying she “strongly disagreed” with his economic policies, and Michael Gove praised her as the most impressive government figure on the Politics Insight Out podcast.

Mahmood's policy positions signal a tougher stance on key Reform talking points. As Justice Secretary, she announced plans for chemical castration for serious sex offenders, to reduce reoffending.

Her approach extends to prison reform and deportation policy. She recently proposed immediate deportation of foreign criminals, to free up prison space and enhance public safety. She also outlined “common sense” changes in legislation for human rights reform.

Mahmood acknowledged holding strong views on immigration in an interview with the Spectator, so we can expect to see a stronger line on issues such as asylum hotels.

Labour strategists are acutely aware of the Reform threat. The party made significant gains by exploiting issues around immigration and law enforcement while Labour's trust ratings declined sharply. Mahmood's appointment appears designed to reclaim ground on these issues.

Her recent comments on grooming gangs demonstrate this positioning. Mahmood broke the party line over the grooming gangs inquiry, calling for a “moment of reckoning” after Keir Starmer initially rejected calls for an inquiry.

Strategically, her appointment makes perfect sense. She has been hired to turn things around –the Reform killer.

But it is far from risk-free. It comes at a time where people are painting and raising England flags in public spaces as a statement of disillusion against immigration policies. She has inherited a toxic debate around small boats, along with the National Inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal.

What if it doesn’t work out? It could backfire, and the huge amount of appalling anti-Muslim racism following her appointment exposed how legitimate discourse over immigration and grooming gangs is used as a vehicle for hate.

On the other hand, constituencies with large Muslim populations are unhappy with Labour’s position on Gaza, and having Mahmood in such a significant role might be designed to calm those arguments. This Labour government has struggled with a balancing act since taking power, often pleasing no-one.

Mahmood understands the risks only too well. In the 2024 election her own majority was slashed by pro-Gaza independent, Akhmed Yakoob, to just 3,421. She described facing “harassment and intimidation” by pro-Palestinian campaigners.

Her new role involves serious decisions. On Saturday the Metropolitan Police said officers were “subjected to an exceptional level of abuse” by Palestine Action supporters, resulting in 890 arrests. Mahmood’s condemnation that they were supporting “a proscribed terrorist group” appears to uphold Yvette Cooper’s decision to ban the group, despite the possible risk to some marginal seats including her own.

Social media content showing her pre-government political life have drawn renewed scrutiny from parts of the Jewish community and right wing critics of the Government abroad. In 2014, she joined a boycott protest with two hundred activists who lay down in the road and in a Birmingham Sainsbury's store, forcing it to close temporarily in what she called direct action against goods from Israeli settlements. The Birmingham MP was accused of encouraging “mob rule” and hauled in by Labour bosses.

However, her current positions appear more nuanced, and it feels a little unfair to judge her based on one event about 11 years ago.

Although she has attended Palestinian Solidarity Campaign protests, following the October 7 Hamas attacks she issued a statement denouncing Hamas: “I unequivocally condemn the despicable actions of Hamas, who targeted innocent Israeli civilians”. She also demanded the hostages be returned, while maintaining support for Palestinian statehood.

Claims that she harbours Islamist sympathies are contradicted by her statements and relationships with community groups. In November 2023, pro-Palestinians marched on her constituency HQ for abstaining from the Gaza ceasefire vote. Her website showing “Shabana’s record on Palestine” indicates support for a ceasefire in 2024, but no red flags by this long-term supporter of the two state solution.

Mahmood's appointment represents a bold political calculation designed to address multiple pressures facing the Labour government. But the community will be watching for concrete signals: How will she handle rising antisemitic incidents? Will she take a firmer stance on extremist groups that target Jewish communities? Will she support Angela Rayner’s controversial plan to create a legal definition of Islamophobia, a hate crime already protected under current legislation?

Only time will tell whether this proves to be a successful political manoeuvre for Labour and the impact on British Jews. Whatever the outcome, Ms Mahmood will need to clarify many of her positions to reassure the British public.

Alex Hearn is the director of Labour Against Antisemitism