Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has electrified Westminster with a swashbuckling and occasionally profane performance in the House of Commons, forcefully announcing her intention to do 'whatever it takes' to restore control over immigration. Delivered on Tuesday 18 November 2025, her statement has won rave reviews from supporters of former Prime Minister Tony Blair, with many seeing her as a potential heir to his political legacy.
A Commanding Performance in the Commons
Mahmood’s confident address saw her swatting aside critics from across the political spectrum while firmly defending her package of asylum reforms. She displayed a striking command of her brief, underlining notes and multitasking with an air of conviction that left a powerful impression on observers. The home secretary did not shy away from confronting opponents, delivering sharp retorts to the Liberal Democrats, Greens, SNP, and Plaid Cymru.
When Lib Dem MP Max Wilkinson accused her of 'stoking division by using immoderate language', Mahmood fired back, stating she wished she had 'the privilege of walking around this country and not seeing the division' caused by the immigration system. She dramatically illustrated her own experiences with racism, reportedly dropping an F-bomb from the despatch box, potentially a first.
Confronting Critics from All Sides
The home secretary saved particular vigour for her internal party critics. To Labour MP Richard Burgon, who had accused her of trying to 'out-Reform Reform', she declared she did not care what other parties were saying. 'First and foremost is my moral responsibility to the people of this country,' she asserted, emphasising that her reforms were underpinned by Labour values of fairness and contribution.
She also deftly handled political manoeuvring from Conservative MP Kemi Badenoch, who offered support for the legislation to encourage Labour rebels to oppose it. Mahmood swept this aside by pointing out that the Conservative government had created the mess in the asylum system. Furthermore, when Nigel Farage jokingly invited her to join Reform, her response was blunt and profane: she told him to 'sod off'.
The Legacy of Blair and the Road Ahead
For admirers of Tony Blair, Mahmood’s performance was a thrilling moment, reminiscent of a minister rising to the level of events. Her clarity and refusal to accept 'holier-than-thou pieties' from the sentimental wing of her own party marked her as a figure prepared to make tough decisions to deliver social democratic policies.
While the ultimate success of her 40-odd changes to the asylum system remains to be seen—and MPs may later scrutinise their impact on small numbers of people and 'pull factors'—the home secretary has decisively won the argument for taking drastic action. The prevailing criticism, as voiced by rebel Labour MP Cat Eccles, is not that she is appeasing Farage, but that the government is merely seen to be doing something to appease the electorate. Regardless, Mahmood has firmly established herself as a central and formidable force in UK politics.
