22 April 2026 , 21:23
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Shabana Mahmood has told "white liberals" to "f*** right off" after she was targeted by a heckler accusing her of mimicking right-wing immigration policies.
The home secretary was interrupted by hecklers during an interview with the comedian Matt Forde for his podcast Political Party in London on Monday.
The heckler said he wanted to “personally thank you for out-Reforming Reform” while two other members of the crowd chanted "refugees welcome".
Ms Mahmood hit back that she was "not going to let a tinpot racist or some random heckler or anybody else claw away at the foundations of who I am as a person".
She added: “I’m a proud Englishwoman. I’m a proud Brit, I’m a hugely proud Muslim. That is the absolute core of my life."
The home secretary said accusations she is mimicking Reform’s policies were efforts to "delegitimize" concerns which were "perfectly valid" around immigration including the opinions of “ethnic minorities in the country”.
Suggesting the heckles could be racially motivated, she went on: “I do think there is that element of it which is: ‘How dare you, a brown woman, say a thing that we white liberals think you’re not allowed to say?’
Phenomenal Political Party tonight with @ShabanaMahmood.
— Matt Forde (@mattforde) April 20, 2026
And not just because Shabana handled being screamed at by two posh yobs with total composure.
Thank you to the rest of the audience who came along and behaved.
Full podcast out soon!
"Well, I’m saying it.
“That’s why I said this individual can just f**k right off, because I know I belong in my own country. You’re not going to be able to do that to me.”
Posting on X after the show, Mr Forde praised Ms Mahmood for handling "being screamed at by two posh yobs with total composure”.
He thanked the rest of the audience "who came along and behaved.”
One of the individuals from Green New Deal Rising, a pressure group, defended their disruption of Ms Mahmood in order to protest her “cruel immigration policies and authoritarian moves towards a Palantir backed AI ‘panopticon’.”
Joe, 32, said: "As someone who migrated here when I was four and grown up here I know the value migrants bring to our country."
"I want to live in a place that treats people fleeing dangerous situations with respect and dignity, not one that leans into racist rhetoric to win votes from Reform."
A Labour rebellion is brewing over Ms Mahmood’s proposals to double the length of time migrants must wait to be granted indefinite leave to remain from five to 10 years.
She is also proposing making refugee status for asylum seekers temporary, subject to review every 30 months.
The planned reforms have drawn criticism from some quarters, with charities accusing Ms Mahmood of “scapegoating migrants” instead of tackling issues including poverty, the housing crisis and NHS delays.
More than 100 charities signed an open letter to the home secretary last year stating: “Targeting refugees will do nothing to tackle these structural issues or improve people’s lives.
"It only serves as a dangerous smokescreen to scapegoat the most vulnerable and distract from the very real dangers to our society."
Politics Editor