LONDON (National Times) In an epoch-making ceremony at the Royal Courts of Justice, Shabana Mahmood, a Pakistani origin MP took oath on the Holy Quran as she was sworn in as the first female Muslim Lord Chancellor of the United Kingdom.
According to the law in the UK, the Lord Chancellor is secretary of state for justice and the minister of the Crown responsible for the administration of the courts and legal aid in England and Wales.
The new Lord Chancellor has vowed to continue “defending the international rule of law and upholding human rights” during her swearing-in ceremony.
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood stressed that the judiciary must make decisions “without political pressure and undue influence”, pledging to be a “champion for the rule of law” during the event at the Royal Courts of Justice.
Ms Mahmood, who took oath in front of several family members and friends, becomes the first female Lord Chancellor to be sworn in before a Lady Chief Justice, and the first employed member of the Bar of England of Wales to hold the position.
She said,in her speech that she was “the first Lord Chancellor to speak Urdu”.
In her speech, Ms Mahmood said the new Labour government would continue “defending the international rule of law and upholding human rights” in line with the European Convention on Human Rights, drawn up after the Second World War.
She said: “We will certainly not be seeking to extricate ourselves from the landmark human rights convention drawn up in the aftermath of that war.”
She emphasised that the judiciary must “never be subjected to the kinds of attacks we saw in recent years when newspaper headlines branded those who uphold the law enemies of the people”.
She also acknowledged the “very deep” challenges faced by the justice system, insisting that more should be done to provide access to justice for women and girls “who are the victims of violence and abuse”.
Ms Mahmood, from Small Heath in Birmingham, has been the MP for Birmingham Ladywood since 2010.
She further added that she hoped her appointment “shows the next little girl from Small Heath or wherever she may be, even the oldest offices of the land are in reach of us all”.
