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The minister said the Shadow universities

Harriet Swain

it is ready to be a battle of brains with David Willetts on government policy and His White Paper

On their first night as a student Mahmood, Shabana, the Minister of Higher Education shade again, remembers very strange sensation. "I was born and raised in Birmingham, a diverse city, so I always knew that many people who were like me," he said. "My first night in Oxford was the only one in my class in the room. It was really weird. This never happened before."

As one of three Muslim women MPs, is further distinguished among the crowd of politicians and policy experts milling around their offices in Westminster. But after a year and a half in Parliament, during which he rose quickly in a minor position in the shadow of the team from the Ministry of the Interior in his current role, he is relaxed and at home.

or is removed by the prospect of the struggle mentally with his counterpart, "two brains" David Willetts, the shipping box. In fact, can not wait, having enjoyed their time response of the hall of Parliament on matters of the Ministry of the Interior. "I used to be an advocate for me in my comfort zone," she said, giving the first of many laughs plentiful.

And she made a few topics for discussion with Willetts. First, the costs. The Labour leader, Ed Miliband, announced in September that if the work came to power tomorrow's tuition next year's coverage would be reduced from £ 9000 to £ 6000. It would be funded by the demolition of a corporate tax cut for banks and ask for graduates earning over £ 65,000 to repay their loans at an interest rate higher.

Proposal

work shows that the government can not claim to be forced to raise the ceiling so high because the budget deficit, which could have made different choices, says Mahmoud, who supported Miliband in the leadership race of the work.

another proposal would avoid the significant role of higher education white - the so-called "core and margin" plan to allow universities to recruit an unlimited number of students at or AAB that the A-level, but 20 000 places available in the industry depends on the supply of institutions that charge less than £ 7500.

This Mahmood described as "completely confused and chaotic", "almost making-it-up-as-you-go-along territory which is not acceptable."

is also "very, very worried" to encourage higher education for profit and plans to focus strongly on when the paper comes before Parliament. She is particularly concerned about the government's plan to make it easier to get a college degree, because of the implications of quality assurance.

In all of these questions means that the work would if you were in power today - the lowest, reject the basic idea and the gap, while encouraging private providers - but beware of committing himself or by the action after the elections of 2015.

Work

maintain the principles of the students to make a fair contribution to the costs of their education and those who benefit most pay more, and as a graduate tax adheres to the principles, is not out of the table, she said. But she looks at many different systems and want to see what shape the industry in 2015. "If we can do more, do more," he said. However, "I will not make a stand now, students take the garden path and change your mind later ... I think they have had enough of that. "

Mahmood, 31, is a committed Brummie, who were attending school full and Small Heath Grammar of King Edward VI Camp Hill for Girls, and was involved in the Labour Party at an early age. She has three siblings including a twin brother and said, "I worked for my campaign" - burst out laughing - "very, very difficult."

His father, a civil engineer, is president of the local Labour Party and he and his mother wanted her children to go to college, what they did. "I guess in a way that they really value academic achievement and stereotypical Asian wanted their children in the professions," says Mahmoud. Indemnification worked as a litigator before becoming an MP. His sister is a manager of NHS and his brothers work in computer science and accounting.

At Oxford, he became president of the junior common in your school Lincoln, but otherwise deliberately avoided student politics, preferring to interact with different views from yours. "Although I've never been attracted to the other side, so to speak, was very interesting for me at least to test myself."

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