Labour must address concerns over immigration, says the new shadow justice secretary

The new shadow justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has called on Labour not to shy away from concerns about high levels of immigration. She believes that the party has been too hesitant in the past to address the impact that high numbers can have on vital services such as the NHS and housing. However, she strongly criticized Home Secretary Suella Braverman for her comments about a migration "hurricane" hitting Britain. In her first interview in her new role, Mahmood also urged Red Wall voters who deserted Labour in 2019 to give the party a second chance.

Labour's approach to the immigration debate

Mahmood acknowledged that in the past, the Left has avoided discussing the complexities and challenges surrounding the immigration debate out of fear of aligning with those who seek to divide the country. However, she emphasized that Labour should not be "queasy" about addressing these concerns and should not ignore legitimate public worries about immigration. While Labour is now more comfortable discussing this issue, Mahmood did not explicitly state that immigration numbers should be reduced.

Record levels of immigration

The UK has experienced a record level of immigration, with 1.2 million people coming to the country. The net migration, which subtracts the number of people leaving from the number of people coming in, stands at 606,000, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Home Secretary's "inflammatory and divisive" remarks

Mahmood strongly criticized Home Secretary Suella Braverman for her recent comments about a migration "hurricane" approaching the country. She described Braverman's words as deliberately inflammatory and divisive, and accused her of using scare tactics by presenting unrealistic numbers. Mahmood refrained from labeling the comments as actively racist but suggested that they were a form of dog whistle politics.

The Labour Party's stance on law and order

Mahmood sought to position the Labour Party as the party of law and order, aiming to challenge the Conservatives on their traditional territory. She argued that the criminal justice system has been severely weakened and emphasized that people have lost confidence in the police, particularly in light of the Sarah Everard murder and other shocking scandals.

Controversial letter on deportation of foreign criminals

The shadow justice secretary faced criticism for signing a controversial letter in 2020 expressing concern over plans to deport 50 foreign criminals to Jamaica. Following the letter, a number of these criminals went on to commit more crimes in the UK. Mahmood defended her decision to sign the letter, stating that it called for a review into the Windrush scandal and sought to ensure that only foreign offenders were deported, rather than individuals who were effectively citizens of the UK.