November 17, 2025
Speaking in the Commons, the Home Secretary revealed: “I am the one that is regularly called a f***** Paki and told to go back home. It is I who knows, through my personal experience and that of my constituents, just how divisive the issue of asylum has become in our country.”*
Her intervention came during exchanges with Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Max Wilkinson, who accused Mahmood of stoking division with “immoderate language.” Mahmood rejected that charge, arguing that the asylum debate is already shaped by extremist right‑wing talking points and that politicians have a duty to confront the lived experiences of those outside Westminster.
@ShabanaMahmood goes full Belligerant
— Jam Radio UK News (@Jam_RadioUK) November 17, 2025
In a heated Commons clash, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood says she was called a “f***ing Paki” — directly confronting Lib Dem spokesman Max Wilkinson. A shocking moment in Parliament. #UKPolitics #HouseOfCommons #Shabana #Asylum pic.twitter.com/n2PepG2UIa
Mahmood described Britain’s asylum framework as “badly broken” and urged MPs to make it a “moral mission” to repair it. She warned that failure to act would deepen divisions, saying: “We are supposed to be in here to reflect that experience in this House, and I hope that he will approach the debates… in that spirit.”
Her comments coincided with the publication of a 33‑page Home Office plan outlining Labour’s immigration crackdown. Proposals include:
Deportation of families whose asylum claims are rejected, with financial incentives offered before enforced removal.
Making refugee status temporary, with deportation once a home country is deemed safe.
Extending the path to permanent residence from five to twenty years.
Overhauling human rights law to prevent deportations being blocked.
Mahmood acknowledged that racist abuse and violence are never justified, but warned that unchecked instability risks drawing more people “down a path that starts with anger and ends in hatred.” She insisted Britain remains an open and tolerant nation, but stressed that the public expects government to determine “who enters this country and who must leave.”
Her remarks highlight the tension at the heart of Labour’s immigration policy: balancing tough enforcement measures with the moral responsibility to confront racism and division. For many, Mahmood’s personal testimony underscores the human cost of political rhetoric and the urgency of reform.
