UK may get first Muslim PM? Shabana Mahmood emerges frontrunner as Starmer faces heat over Epstein fallout – Firstpost

As Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces his most serious leadership crisis yet, speculation in Westminster has shifted towards who could replace him. Among the emerging frontrunners is UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who could make history as the country’s first Muslim prime minister.

Mahmood, one of Starmer’s closest allies, is increasingly being discussed within Labour circles as a top-tier leadership contender. Any such move would mark a significant moment in British political history.

The renewed focus on her rise comes amid political turmoil triggered by the release of Epstein-related files in the US, which have sent shockwaves through governments in Europe and beyond.

Who is Shabana Mahmood?

Shabana Mahmood, 45, is a lawyer-turned-politician and a senior figure within the Labour Party. Known as a persuasive speaker and a disciplined operator, she is positioned on the party’s right and has long been regarded as a trusted Starmer ally.

Born in Birmingham to parents Zubaida and Mahmood Ahmed, who trace their roots to Pakistan and Mirpur in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Mahmood studied law at Lincoln College, Oxford, graduating in 2002. She completed the Bar Vocational Course at the Inns of Court School of Law in 2003 and later practised as a barrister.

Elected to Parliament in 2010, she was among the first female Muslim MPs, alongside Rushanara Ali and Yasmin Qureshi. Since becoming home secretary in 2025, she has overseen border security, policing, and the immigration system.

A complex stance on migration

Mahmood’s political positioning has given her a dual — and sometimes controversial — appeal. As a Muslim leader, she is viewed by some as a figure who could help Labour reconnect with Muslim voters and pro-Palestine supporters who distanced themselves from the party after it backed Israel’s military campaign, described by some international bodies as genocide.

At the same time, her record at the Home Office has been notably hardline. She has unveiled proposals to make it more difficult for migrants to obtain permanent residency, or indefinite leave to remain, calling settlement a “privilege, not a right”.

Her plan to double the residency requirement for most migrant workers from five years to 10 has sparked internal unease.

Starmer’s leadership crisis deepens

The growing attention on Mahmood follows a disastrous week for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whose position is now being openly questioned within his own party.

The crisis centres on the appointment of Peter Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to Washington. Revelations about Mandelson’s past links to convicted paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, who died in a New York jail in 2019, triggered a fierce backlash.

The situation worsened when Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, resigned after taking “full responsibility” for the appointment. While intended to shield the Prime Minister, Labour MPs have argued that Starmer himself must “own the error”, according to Bloomberg.

With approval ratings at historic lows, some aides have privately suggested it is “50–50” whether Starmer will survive the week.