Shabana Mahmood MP

Shabana Mahmood, MP, whose family roots are from Mirpur, Azad Kashmir, is a British Labour Party politician. Shabana was elected as Labour MP for Birmingham Ladywood on May 6th 2010 with a majority of 10,105.

Soon after her election, shabana was elected to the 'Work and Pensions Select Committee', where she took a particular interest in unemployment issues and the government's Work Programme. In October 2010 Shabana was appointed Shadow Home Office Minister, with responsibility for immigration and counter-terrorism. She was appointed Shadow Minister for Higher Education in October 2011.

Born on 17 September 1980, shabana was raised in Small Heath Birmingham and is the daughter of the Birmingham Labour Party's chairman. Between 1981 and 1986, Shabana lived with her family in Taif, Saudi Arabia, as her father relocated there to work as a civil engineer.

When the family returned home to Birmingham, she was educated at Small Heath School. She then went on to study at the Lincoln College, University of Oxford and graduated with a BA (Hons) degree in Law.

During her time at Oxford, she was elected JCR President and she was awarded the Ashurst Morris Crisp Prize for Best Performance in the Lawyer's Ethics finals examination by the University.

After University, Shabana completed the Bar Vocational Course at the Inns Of Court School of Law, having been awarded a scholarship by Gray's Inn. She completed her pupillage at 12 King's Bench Walk chambers in London, after which she practised as an employed Barrister, specialising in professional indemnity litigation.

Before her election, Shabana was a practising Barrister specialising in professional indemnity litigation at a leading national law firm. She is an experienced litigator and has acted on a number of high value and complex cases, primarily representing defendants and their insurers.

In addition to her legal career, Shabana volunteered as a supplementary school teacher where alongside her teaching responsibilities, she continued to mentor, advise and assist students from disadvantaged backgrounds, with university and job applications.

Shabana became one of the first Muslim women, and one of the first Asian women, to be elected to Parliament.