Shabana Mahmood's speech at Labour Conference

Shabana Mahmood MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary for Justice addressed the conference.

"Good morning, Conference.

I am delighted to stand here today as Shadow Lord Chancellor and Shadow Justice Secretary.

Now, most of you will know me only as an MP.

But while it feels like a hundred years ago now, I was once a barrister. 

So for this former lawyer and permanent geek, to be a politician and a lawyer all at once, honestly I am living the dream.

And I am very proud to be here alongside my Shadow ministerial team – Kevin Brennan, Ruth Cadbury, Alex Cunningham, Janet Daby and Fred Ponsonby.

Conference, it’s a testament to this country that I am here today.

And to those who sow division by saying ‘multiculturalism has failed’, well – hello.

It is a special kind of privilege – and responsibility – to be the first woman of an ethnic minority background to hold this position.

The beauty of our country is that we hold our traditions dear, but are never afraid to look to the future.

As Orwell once put it, we have “the power to change out of recognition and yet remain the same”.

If there is one great British tradition that we must hold on to, it is the rule of law.

Its promise is timeless.

All are equal in the eyes of the law.

None above it and none beneath it.

But these high ideals mean nothing if people feel unsafe in their communities.

If a rape victim has to wait up to 6 years to see justice delivered.

Or when a prisoner on remand for terrorism roams the streets for four days.

And when the law-makers become law-breakers.

The so-called ‘party of sound money’ crashed the economy.

And the so-called ‘party of law and order’ has failed to keep the public safe.

10 justice secretaries in 10 years.

The Ministry of Justice treated like a carousel ride.

Amongst these roving ministers, we had none other than Liz Truss.

Secretary of State for less than a year.

Which, to be fair, is a lot longer than she was Prime Minister.

Unlike when she was in office, these days, she seems to have a found a new zeal for rehabilitation – although only of her own image.

How the Tories have treated this department has been beyond a joke.

The first duty of any government is to keep its citizens safe.

After thirteen years, we live in a country where too often justice is no longer done.

When a crime occurs, too many have stopped reporting it.

Those who do hit a courts backlog of 64,000 cases and a multi-year wait.

If the verdict is ‘guilty’, you might expect a dangerous criminal would be placed behind bars.

But, instead, our judges are now being told our prisons are full.

Churchill once said you can judge a nation by its prisons.

What would he make of our nation under his Tory successors?

Our prisons are at breaking point.

Overcrowded, abhorrent conditions, drug use is rife and staff are leaving.

Prison should be where the cycle of crime ends, not where it begins again. 

But, today, 80% of offenders are reoffenders.

It’s no wonder so few trust our justice system.

The Tories aren’t the party of law and order.

They are the party of lawless disorder.

Only Labour will rebalance the scales of justice.

Only Labour will stand should-to-shoulder with victims of crime.

We will halve violence against women and girls and increase confidence in our police and criminal justice system.

All as part of our mission to make Britain’s streets safe.

Because who suffers when crime is entrenched?

Who has the hardest time navigating our broken justice system? 

When a drug dealer sets up shop on their street, it’s not the Rishi Sunak’s of this world who suffer.

It's working people who suffer.

As the party of working people, we are the party of law and order.

So, Conference, let me be straight: I believe, unapologetically, in punishing criminals.

People go to prison because of the bad choices they make.

Because they have hurt people, destroyed homes, wrecked families.

And because we, as a society, say enough is enough.

But I also believe, unapologetically, in rehabilitation and redemption.

Once an offender is caught, convicted and sentenced, they must have the chance to change: to take responsibility for their lives, to turn back from a life of crime.

The safety and security of us all depends upon it.

Conference, above all else, a Labour government will be on the side of victims.

Today, they are bit part players in the justice process.

When they should be at the heart of it.

So I am proud to announce that a Labour Government will introduce legal advocates for the victims of rape in every police force area.

We will do this by redirecting a portion of the funding Police and Crime Commissioners receive for victims’ services.

Today, rape victims are systematically failed.

They wait over two years to go to trial with no-one to advocate for them.

And the result?

Over 60% drop their cases and rapists walk free.

Labour’s legal advocates will ensure victims’ rights are upheld.

This would mark the most transformative change to the status of rape victims within the justice system. And I want to thank Vera Baird and Kim McGuinness for all their brilliant work on this in Northumbria.

The introduction of legal advocates will drive down drop-out rates and help bring perpetrators to justice, increase prosecutions, and make our streets safe.

As Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer changed how victims were treated by the system.

His Labour government will do it again.

A Labour Government will also deliver all the 20,000 prison places needed.

We will increase the number of prosecutors and introduce specialist rape courts, bringing down the record courts backlog.

Conference, to be the party of working people is to be the party of law and order.

That means addressing the root causes of crime.

It means upholding the rule of law, with a justice system that serves the British public, and earns their confidence and their respect.

After thirteen years, we are a long way from that today.

It would be the honour of my life to serve as part of a Labour Government that will make our communities secure, our citizens safe, and our nation transformed.

Thank you, Conference."