Federation welcomes decision to leave Shabana Mahmood as Home Secretary
24 July 2026
The new Prime Minister’s decision to leave Shabana Mahmood as Home Secretary in his new Cabinet has been welcomed by West Midlands Police Federation deputy chair Mat Minton.
Ms Mahmood, Labour MP for Birmingham Ladywood, has been in her post since September last year but over the weekend had been widely tipped to be appointed as Andy Burnham’s Chancellor of the Exchequer. However, that post was handed to John Healey.
“Shabana Mahmood is already the 10th politician to hold the post of Home Secretary since 2016 and has only been in post since September last year,” says Mat, “As a Federation, we did not relish the prospect of yet another change at the top of the Home Office.
“While we are not yet in a position to fully endorse the police reform programme as we await further details and clarification, what we do need to see is some consistency and continuity. With Ms Mahmood and policing minister Sarah Jones still in the positions they held under Sir Keir Starmer, we can at least avoid having to undergo further disruption.
“That said, what we do need to see is a real commitment to long-term and sustained investment in policing so we look forward to hearing more about Mr Burnham’s plans.”
Last month, it was reported in The Telegraph that Ms Mahmood’s plans for force mergers could be put at risk by Andy Burnham’s Government.
“We are just going to have to wait to see how this all unfolds,” says Mat, “But let’s hope that the new Prime Minister recognises the police service is in crisis and that urgent investment is needed if we are to provide effective policing for the communities we serve.
“We fully understand that there are many competing demands for funding, but the number one priority of any Government has to be the safety and security of its people. A police service stretched to its limits, struggling to retain officers and inadequately funded cannot help the Government meet that priority.
“Force mergers will be hugely expensive and you do have to question if that is going to be money well spent. To me, time and money should first go into overhauling the police pay review process for the benefit of everyone working in policing and into measures that will help tackle the officer retention crisis that is currently crippling forces across England and Wales.”
