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One of the UK's first female Muslim MPs has been appointed to oversee the Channel Islands' relationship with the UK, following Labour's recent election victory.
Shabana Mahmood, a Labour MP and former barrister, has been appointed as the new UK Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor following the party's landslide victory last week.
In this role, she will be responsible for overseeing relations with the Crown Dependencies, including Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man, and representing their interests within the UK government.
The 43-year-old has represented Birmingham Ladywood since 2010 and secured 15,558 votes in her constituency last week, winning 42.5% of the vote.
Ms Mahmood is the second woman to hold the position of Lord Chancellor and is one of the UK's first female Muslim MPs.
The Oxford University graduate and former barrister specialised in professional indemnity cases before entering politics.
Throughout her political career, Ms Mahmood has been a member of Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East and has described herself as a supporter of Palestinian rights.
Ms Mahmood met Jersey's External Relations Minister, Deputy Ian Gorst, and former Chief Minister Kristina Moore at the Labour Party conference last year December.
At the time, the two Jersey politicians also met the then-Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves MP, Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities Annaliese Dodds, and Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Steve Reed MP, who visited Jersey earlier in the year.
???????? We’re into day 2 at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool. Delighted to meet Anneliese Dodds MP, Chair of the Labour Party. Engaging discussions alongside our Guernsey colleagues. ???????? #LabourConference23 @Ian_Gorst @AnnelieseDodds @Govgg pic.twitter.com/CP3lkCM1tD
— Chief Minister of Jersey (@ChiefMinJSY) October 9, 2023
Yesterday, Deputy Gorst congratulated Ms Mahmood on her appointment.
"I look forward to continuing Jersey's close relationship with the UK Government and working together to benefit our shared interests," he said.
Ms Mahmood takes over from Conservative MP Alex Chalk, who was appointed by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, after previous incumbent Dominic Raab resigned in 2023.
Warm congratulations to @ShabanaMahmood on her appointment as Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor @MoJGovUK. I look forward to continuing Jersey’s close relationship with the UK Government and working together to benefit our shared interests. ????????????????
— Deputy Ian Gorst (@Ian_Gorst) July 8, 2024
Prior to this, Brandon Lewis MP held the role when he served under Liz Truss, whose Premiership ended when she resigned after 45 days.
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