Speech of the Month, September 2025 - Shabana Mahmood

Given all the ‘will it save his leadership’ speculation around Keir Starmer’s speech at this year’s Labour conference, one of the best speeches went under the radar. This is surprising because if Starmer is going to stay in post for the May local elections and beyond them, then the person who’s best able to influence that is Shabana Mahmood. If, as the new Home Secretary, she can prove that she’s got immigration under control, fewer Red Wall voters are going to lend their vote to Reform. If she screws it up, Larry the cat will be forced to share No10 with Uncle Nige.  

Shabana Mahmood’s speech was clear and unflashy. It was thin on rhetorical devices but thick on intent. She used it to introduce herself to people inside and outside the hall, and to set out her stall re the work she’s going to do. If you missed it, here it is…

Speech of the Month is about taking a speech and picking out the bits that we can all learn from and use. So here are those bits:

Refer to a well-known event as the stimulus for your argument

The question at the heart of Mahmood’s speech was how to stop people gliding from patriotism to ethnonationalism. To set up this question, she opened up by talking about the Unite the Kingdom protest that attracted over 120,000 people. The rally was big enough and recent enough for everybody to be aware of. She acknowledged that, while some supporters were former BNP, the majority weren’t, but they marched because they were concerned and angry about how Britain has changed in the last 10 years. It’s this belief that British borders and culture are being attacked that she wants to dispel with tangible actions. Thereby, ensuring that patriots aren’t charmed by ethno-nationalists. 

Therefore, if you have a big question or problem at the heart of a speech, consider if there is a well-known event that you can use as the stimulus / introduction for your key message. For instance, if you’re a Health & Safety Officer and you’ve got to give a presentation about the benefits of good cable containment, then referring to Trump’s state visit and how he was skilfully held in Windsor Castle for the duration would be a good event to talk about before delving into the specifics of cable containment.   

Weave personal stories appropriately into the speech 

It’s always interesting to discover personal details about a speaker, but what never feels right – and I see this a lot – is when people open by telling the audience who they are, who they’re married to, how many kids they have, what their hobbies are, what they had for breakfast etc. This stand-alone ‘share about yourself’ section never sits well with me. However…

I do like it, in fact I’m all for it, when speakers weave in information about themselves that’s perfectly linked to the topic they’re talking about. So, with Mahmood, I felt it was right for her to state that her parents, when they moved to the UK in the 70s, couldn’t have ever imagined her addressing a Labour conference as Home Secretary. I bet they couldn’t! I liked when we learnt about her working in their corner shop with the cricket bat under the counter and therefore knowing how scary and devastating shoplifting is. This related to the topic of crime and security. 

So by all means, weave in personal information and stories, but make sure they’re there to support messages, never as add-ons. 

Don’t be thrown by a non-reaction

Nearer the end of her speech, Mahmood set out the conditions on which immigrants would be granted citizenship: being in work, making NIC contributions, learning English, volunteering (doubt this one will stick) etc. She rounded off this section by saying, “If you do, I know this country will welcome you.” And it got … … nothing. A big, fat nothing. She’d anticipated a round of applause and there was none. Funny, because if Kemi B had delivered the same lines, I suspect Tory members would roar with approval. However, despite a cheek muscle twitch, Mahmood didn’t let the non-reaction throw her off course. She stayed focused and got on. 

I’m bringing this up because no two audiences ever react the same. Not that Mahmood will be giving the speech again. But on another day, she might have got her round of applause. Sometimes a story that you’ve told a few times to audiences and always got a good reaction, gets nothing in front of a particular audience or some lines get reactions and you didn’t feel they were especially provocative. Point is, when a line falls flat or gets more than you think it should, don’t be thrown. Either get on and don’t let a non-reaction hamper your performance or acknowledge the reaction you’ve surprisingly received. 

The red lip

I love Mahmood’s red lipstick. I appreciate 50% of people reading this post won’t find this tip helpful but when you’re speaking, people are going to look at your mouth, so what’s wrong with that mouth being as bold and eye-catching as possible? I know red lipstick won’t work for everyone (I don’t think it works for me but that doesn’t stop me) but what about a strong pink, coral or orange? Also, it’s a good excuse to treat yourself.