Mahmood used her conference address to report on year-one results, frame border control and crime reduction as matters of fairness, and set out continued action on tackling criminal gangs and opening capped safe routes for refugees.
Mahmood reports reductions in knife crime, serious violence, net migration, and small boat crossings since taking office.
She frames restoring border control and cutting crime as issues of fairness that protect social cohesion.
Government action includes targeting criminal gangs — citing over 48,000 stopped attempted crossings — and creating capped safe and legal routes for people fleeing persecution.
# What Mahmood said and why it matters
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood opened by addressing a security incident near RAF Fairford, thanking police and the Army's Explosive Ordnance Disposal team for securing the scene and confirming the responsible individuals are British citizens. She urged public vigilance during a period of heightened threat.
Her conference speech then pivoted to a one-year progress report as Home Secretary. Mahmood listed measurable outcomes she attributes to her team and government: knife crime down, serious violence down, net migration down, and small boat crossings down. She highlighted that no recent Home Secretary could truthfully claim all those shifts together and credited predecessor Yvette Cooper for foundations that were built upon.
# Enforcement against criminal gangs and migration numbers
Channel crossings, calling it unfair that gangs decide who comes to the UK and that they risk lives by sending unseaworthy boats into the Channel. She cited operational results: more than 48,000 attempted crossings stopped and this summer recording the lowest number of small boat arrivals since 2021.
Mahmood framed those operational gains as reversing the advantage previously held by gangs and as part of restoring control at the border.
# Asylum policy: fairness and capped legal routes
Mahmood said fairness also requires providing sanctuary to people fleeing war and persecution, but argued this must be done through capped, controlled pathways so communities can absorb arrivals. She noted approximately 90,000 people are currently living in asylum accommodation across the country, using that figure to underline the pressure on local areas.
# Tone and political positioning
Mahmood repeatedly linked security and migration measures to Labour's founding commitment to fairness, arguing a Labour Home Secretary must both protect communities and offer fair access to refuge. She appealed to a broad public sentiment — welcoming lawful newcomers while stopping criminal exploitation of migration — and positioned the government's approach as both compassionate and controlled.
# Security comment and community impact
Beyond national policy, Mahmood thanked residents of Whelford for their cooperation after the RAF Fairford incident and described their resilience as representative of the country. She cautioned against speculation that could prejudice investigations and urged support for police work.
# What the speech does not include in the published excerpt
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