Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's speech to Labour Party Conference 2026

Shabana Mahmood's speech to Labour Party Conference 2026

"Thank you. Thank you, Conference.

Before I begin, let me address the events of yesterday morning outside RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.

I would like to thank the police. For their swift response to the situation. We must allow them to continue their work and not fuel any speculation. Particularly as this could prejudice investigations.

But I can say this: The nationalities of those responsible are now known. And they are all British citizens.

I can also say that thanks to the excellent work of the Army's Explosive Ordnance Disposal team the scene is now safe. And the residents of Whelford will shortly be returning home. I thank them for their cooperation. And, more than that, for their spirit of resilience. They represent the very best of our country.

Now, while I will not comment further on the specific incident. It is a reminder that at a time of heightened threat we must all remain vigilant.

And to all those who mean us harm and plot violence on our soil. Let this be a reminder: You will never defeat us.

Conference, a year ago I became Home Secretary. On this stage last year, I told you it was the honour of my life. And I meant it. This year, I stand before you to report back on a first year in office.

As I do so, I could stand here and list the facts.

Knife crime: down.

Serious violence: down.

Net migration: down.

Small boat crossings: down.

I could point out that no Home Secretary in recent history has been able to say any of that. And that is a tribute to the work of this Government and my ministerial team. It is also a tribute to my predecessor, Yvette Cooper, who laid the foundations we have built upon.

But I don't only want to talk about what this Government is doing. Nor even what we are achieving. Instead, I want to talk to you about why we are doing it.

Why must a Labour Home Secretary restore control at our border? Why must a Labour Home Secretary cut crime? Why must a Labour Home Secretary keep our communities and our homeland safe?

The answer goes back to why this party exists. The thing that brought us all into politics: Fairness.

The job of a Labour Home Secretary, just as the job of every Labour Government, is to make this country fairer.

Let me tell you why this matters to me.

My parents came to this country from rural Kashmir because they knew they would get a fair shot at a better life here. A fairer shot than they could ever expect back home. Where past was precedent. And where your birth dictated your future.

They were, largely, welcomed to this country. Because most Brits thought it was right to welcome people who came here legally, built a new life, and contribute to our nation.

There were exceptions to that welcome, of course. This was the 1970s. But they were exceptions, not the rule.

Fairness is what unites us in this country. And a fair society unlocks the very best of us. Because when people think this country is fair. They are more open and generous to others.

When we are secure in ourselves, we are more tolerant too. Because the existence of one group does not threaten another. And so, a proud Muslim like me can be a proud Brit and a Brummie too.

When fairness isn't present, the opposite is true. When this country feels unfair. People turn inwards. A Britain that is unfair is one that is smaller and colder for those who look like me.

So my job is to create that fairness. In our immigration system. And on our streets. And, in doing so, to hold this country together. At a time when others seek to divide us.

Conference, there is nothing fair about a lack of control at our borders. It is not fair that criminal gangs determine who comes to this country.

It is not fair that they put dangerous boats into the water with no regard for human life. Shown once again today, with three more tragic deaths in the Channel.

It is not fair that those with a genuine need of protection cannot find a safe and legal way to claim asylum.

It is also not fair that communities across this country have been asked to bear so great a burden, with around 90,000 people living in asylum accommodation.

For that reason, to restore fairness, we must restore control.

That work has begun and is bearing fruit. We are turning the tables on the criminal gangs. We have stopped over 48,000 attempted crossings. And small boat arrivals are down significantly with this summer recording the lowest number since 2021.

Fairness isn't only about control. Fairness is also about offering sanctuary to those who are truly fleeing war and persecution.

So as we tackle the gangs and reduce the incentives that draw people here illegally. We are also opening new, capped safe and legal routes.

I know that the British people have not given up on their belief that we should be compassionate, live up to our international obligations, and save the lives of those fleeing war and persecution.

But I also know this process must be capped and controlled, with communities ready and able to welcome those who come here.

For that reason, I can announce today that from next month, we will begin accepting applications from charities and nonprofits to sponsor refugees through our new safe and legal routes.

This will start with a community sponsorship route allowing local communities to host refugees. And a student sponsorship route which will allow universities to do the same.

Applications will open in October. With the first arrivals in autumn of next year.

Applications for sponsors for a further work route will open in the Spring of next year.

And that is not all, Conference.

I can also announce that this Government will reopen the UK Resettlement Route in partnership with the United Nations.

We will take vulnerable refugees from across the world and give them the chance of a new and better life here in Britain with the first arrivals this year.

I am proud to say that around a quarter will be Afghan women and girls fleeing persecution under the Taliban.

And Palestinians who have fled the horrors of Gaza.

Conference, conference, that is what we can do, this is who we can be, as we restore control to our borders. Bear down on small boat crossings. And unlock the inherent generosity of this country.

As we restore control and fairness to our asylum system. We must do the same for legal migration too: Fair to those who seek a new and better life here, like my parents did. And fair to those already here, including British workers, and especially the young.

That same principle underpins my reforms to the right to live here indefinitely. Ensuring settled status is earned by those who have shown a consistent commitment to this country.

I know that, throughout our consultation process some have said elements of these reforms are not fair.

And to that, let me say this: we will come to a position that balances fairness for those who came here legally and fairness to British citizens across this country.

Fairness cannot end at our borders. It must extend to every street in this country.

While you might not believe it, from all the false talk of a broken Britain. Some of the most serious crimes that we face in this country are falling, and falling fast.

Murder is down by 9 percent.

Serious violence by 11 percent.

And knife robberies by 16 percent.

These are extraordinary successes. And they are what happens when we have a Labour Government in power.

But it is also true that our steps forward have not been true everywhere. If you are the victim of crime in one part of this country, you could be two and a half times more likely to see that crime solved than if you live elsewhere.

Meanwhile, across the country, certain crimes, particularly those that tear at the fabric of a local community are still too high. Like shop theft, which though now falling, is still far too high.

To achieve fairness in every community, we need to do some things we know work, like neighbourhood policing. Which was hollowed out under the Conservative government but which we know cuts crime and deters criminality.

I am proud to say that this Government has put 3,800 more officers into neighbourhoods across the country.

But if we are to police every community fairly, we must also police differently.

I have long argued that the criminal justice system has failed to respond effectively to the scourge of violence against women and girls.

In our landmark strategy, we seek to right that wrong. And I am proud to have recently announced that every police force in England and Wales will soon have specialist officers trained in the delicate and difficult work of investigating these heinous crimes.

Better policing also demands new policing structures.

And that is why this Government will launch the National Police Service focused entirely on national and international crime.

We are also reviewing the structure of local forces to ensure every part of this country has excellent neighbourhood policing as well as access to the specialist policing that we know every community needs deserves.

Since we took office. We have taken major steps forward.

But it is still too often true that where you live determines what you get. We will only have a fair country when we have security in every home.

That is not just a British value. It is a Labour value.

When we are secure in our homes, we open our doors to others. When we feel unsafe, we bolt the door to outsiders and those who are different from us.

Safety at home unlocks the generosity of spirit that this party knows is within us all.

I know, personally, that this doesn't always feel true today. I know the fear that some communities have felt in recent times. The sense that the forces of division in our country are growing stronger, while the unifying voices grow weaker.

I have felt the same shiver of revulsion and fear at the sight of racists, masked up and dressed all in black. Whose actions are designed to threaten communities like mine.

I know that other communities have felt the same fear. Like British Jews, facing the rising tide of antisemitism. And targeted by the hostile acts of foreign powers who plot violence against our fellow countrymen and women.

This country is only truly fair when we are all safe within it.

So, I am proud of the work we have done to tackle extremism, in all its forms. And I am proud of the State Threats Act which we passed at pace to tackle hostile foreign powers seeking to operate and sow division in this country.

I know there is more we must do to tackle the threats ranged against us.

And I think particularly of the new and growing threat posed by young minds warped online and alone which we will begin to address in legislation announced in the King's Speech later this year.

Once again. And with particular resonance today. I must thank those who protect us, day and night, in policing and our intelligence services.

Their successes are rarely seen. But - as I know all too well. We are all safer, each and every day, for their presence.

They protect us all, without fear or favour, and we all thank them for it.

Safety, security and control.

Some say these aren't Labour values.

Conference, they are wrong.

These are the preconditions for a society that is fair. And that drive towards fairness is what brought this party into being and every single one of us into this hall.

So when the Tories in the Tory Party and the failed Tories in the Reform Party try to pretend otherwise. Let's just remind them of their record:

Losing control of our borders.

Hollowing out policing on our streets.

Fourteen years of making this country less safe. Less secure. Out of control. And unfair.

By restoring safety, security and control. We are restoring fairness and creating space for compassion, tolerance, and generosity.

And that is why the numbers I started with in this speech with matter:

Knife crime: down.

Serious violence: down.

Net migration: down.

Small boat crossings: down.

That is how we make this country fairer. That is how we defeat the forces of division. That is how we hold this country together.

Conference, it is what a Labour Government does.

It is why a Labour Government exists.

And it is why I remain so proud to be your Labour Home Secretary.

Thank you, Conference."