Shabana Mahmood Lord Chancellor with political nous unafraid to shake up system

Shabana Mahmood's potential as a future cabinet minister was first noticed by the former deputy Labour leader Tom Watson in the 90s over tea and samosas at her family's Birmingham home.

- Rajeev Syal

A seasoned fixer, Watson had become a close friend of her father, Mahmood Ahmed, a local Labour councillor. When political problems arose, Watson and fellow Labour party organisers would be guided through to comfy sofas in the family sitting room.

Watson said the group, nearly all middle-aged men, would "start babbling" about the latest ructions and discuss how to negotiate West Midlands politics involving factions and complex community alliances. Inevitably, Ahmed would turn towards his daughter, who would have appeared with a fresh pot of tea. The group soon learned to listen carefully to her suggestions, Watson said.

"Shabana would let them know exactly what to do, and when to do it. She would give them the line, clearly and concisely. She could see a problem and cut through it at a young age," Watson said.

More than 25 years later, her allies say that same political nous was on display last week when, as lord chancellor, she forced the Sentencing Council to reverse plans to issue new advice to judges that would have made the ethnicity or faith of an offender a prominent factor when deciding whether to jail them.