Who is Shabana Mahmood? Shabana Mahmood is a senior Labour politician and qualified barrister who: Was born in 1980 in Birmingham. Has been the MP for Birmingham Ladywood since 2010 . Studied law at Oxford University before practising as a barrister. Served as Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor (2024–2025) , becoming the first Muslim Lord Chancellor in British history. Has been Home Secretary since September 2025 , responsible for policing, immigration, border security and national security. ( GOV.UK ) Political views Mahmood is generally associated with the Blue Labour tradition, combining centre-left economic views with more socially conservative positions. She is known for: Tougher immigration and border policies. Strong support for law and order. Reform of the criminal justice system. Fiscal pragmatism rather than ideological economics. A focus on community, family and national security.  Shabana Mahmood (Home Secretary): Retains her post despite inten...

  Who is John Healey? John Healey is a senior Labour politician who: Was born in 1960 in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. Has been a Labour MP since 1997 (currently representing Rawmarsh and Conisbrough ). Served as a Treasury minister under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, with responsibility for housing, local government and financial matters. Was Secretary of State for Defence (2024–2026) under Keir Starmer , overseeing UK defence policy, support for Ukraine and military reform.  In July 2026 , he was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer by Prime Minister Andy Burnham, making him responsible for the UK's economy and public finances. ( GOV.UK ) Political views Healey is generally considered to be from the moderate (centre-left) wing of the Labour Party. He is known for: Fiscal responsibility and economic stability. Support for public investment alongside careful management of government finances. Strong backing for national defence and NATO. Support for regional economic growth a...

New Prime Minister takes immediate action to cut taxes on electricity bills to give millions of households breathing space this winter. New Prime Minister takes immediate action to cut taxes on electricity bills to give millions of households breathing space this winter Tax cut this year funded from cancelled Digital ID programme will see VAT on electricity bills removed from October 1st In one of his first acts as Prime Minister Andy Burnham promises to “put more money in people’s pockets and bring back hope” Millions of households across the UK will benefit from immediate action to help with their electricity bills this winter, the Prime Minister has announced as one of his first decisions in office. This follows his commitment to the nation on the steps of Downing Street yesterday to give people some breathing space and help with the cost of living. Government is tackling rising bills with a tax cut to remove VAT from domestic electricity bills from October 1 in time to impact the ...

For much of his political career, Andrew Burnham appeared destined to be remembered as one of Labour's nearly men. The Labour Party @UKLabour · Jul 17 Congratulations to @andyburnham , the new Leader of the Labour Party! During the early 2000's he rose rapidly through Tony Blair and Gordon Brown's governments, occupying some of Whitehall's most demanding ministerial positions before the age of forty. He contested the Labour leadership twice, losing first to Ed Miliband in 2010 and then to Jeremy Corbyn five years later. By 2016, after resigning as Shadow Home Secretary, many observers concluded that his chances of ever leading the Labour Party had effectively disappeared. Instead, Burnham chose a path that few senior politicians had ever taken voluntarily. Rather than remaining on the Westminster front benches waiting for another opportunity, he stepped away from Parliament altogether to contest the inaugural election for Mayor of Greater Manchester. At the time, the de...