In her broadcast round, Mahmood appeared to anticipate the likely attack from the left flank, which typically argues that ministers are playing into Farage’s hands by talking so much about immigration.
The UK received 111,000 asylum applications in the 12 months to June 2025 — a record high and 14% more than a year earlier. The Home Office has deported or removed nearly 50,000 immigrants in the country illegally since Labour came to power in July 2024, a 23% increase on the 16 months prior.
Under the new plans, the government will also make it easier to send refugees back when their home countries are safe, the Home Office said in a statement.
“I really reject this idea that dealing with this problem is somehow engaging in far-right talking points,” Mahmood told the BBC. The government will also announce changes on legal migration later this week, she said.
Mahmood’s appointment was widely seen as a sign Labour was toughening its stance on immigration. She described the brief on Sunday as a “moral mission,” telling the BBC that “illegal migration is tearing our country apart.”
Her performance in the role has seen her emerge as a likely front-runner in the event of a leadership change, as Starmer battles crises on multiple fronts ahead of a budget this month that could define his tenure.
The prime minister has emerged weaker in recent days following anonymous briefings against a cabinet minister accused of plotting to oust him. Then on Friday, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves ditched the centerpiece of her revenue-raising plans, triggering a selloff on bond markets.
Mahmood said Sunday that Starmer shouldn’t consider standing aside, after he led Labour to power following more than a decade in opposition. She also criticized what she described as “Westminster bubble tittle-tattle.”
“If people have things to say, they should have the courage of their convictions and say so publicly,” she told Sky News.
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