The Baroness Warsi | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2018 | |
| Senior Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs | |
| In office 6 September 2012 – 5 August 2014 | |
| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | The Lord Howell of Guildford |
| Succeeded by | The Baroness Anelay of St Johns |
| Minister of State for Faith and Communities | |
| In office 6 September 2012 – 5 August 2014 | |
| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Eric Pickles |
| Minister without Portfolio | |
| In office 12 May 2010 – 6 September 2012 | |
| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Hazel Blears[a] |
| Succeeded by | Ken Clarke Grant Shapps |
| Chairwoman of the Conservative Party | |
| In office 12 May 2010 – 4 September 2012 Served withThe Lord Feldman of Elstree | |
| Leader | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Eric Pickles |
| Succeeded by | Grant Shapps |
| Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion and Social Action | |
| In office 2 July 2007 – 11 May 2010 | |
| Leader | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Member of the House of Lords | |
| Life peerage 11 October 2007 – present | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1971-03-28)28 March 1971 (age 54) |
| Political party | Conservativea |
| Alma mater | Dewsbury College (nowKirklees College) University of Leeds University of Law |
| a.^ resignedwhip on 26 September 2024 | |
Sayeeda Hussain Warsi, Baroness Warsi,PC (/ˈvɑːrsiː/;[1] born 28 March 1971) is a British lawyer, politician, and member of theHouse of Lords who served asco-chairwoman of the Conservative Party from 2010 to 2012. She served in theCameron–Clegg coalition, first as theMinister without portfolio between 2010 and 2012, then as the Minister of State for theForeign and Commonwealth Office (styled as "Senior Minister of State") and as theMinister of State for Faith and Communities, until her resignation citing her disagreement with the Government's policy relating to theIsrael–Gaza conflict in August 2014.In September 2024 Baroness Warsi resigned theWhip and left theConservative Party.[2]
Warsi grew up in a family of Pakistani Muslim immigrants living inWest Yorkshire.[3] She became asolicitor with theCrown Prosecution Service (CPS). In 2004, she left the CPS to stand, unsuccessfully, for election to theHouse of Commons. After being raised to thepeerage in 2007, Warsi served asShadow Minister for Community Cohesion and Social Action. She became the first Muslim to serve as a Cabinet Minister.[4]
On 26 September 2024, Warsi announced that she would no longer take the Conservative Partywhip in the House of Lords.[5][6]
Warsi is the granddaughter of two men who served in theBritish Indian army.[7] She is the second of five daughters born inDewsbury,West Riding of Yorkshire, to Pakistani immigrants fromBewal,Gujar Khan. Her father is the owner of a bed manufacturing company, who started life as a mill worker and a bus driver.[8][9] Warsi has said that her father's success led her to adopting Conservative principles.[10]
Warsi was educated atBirkdale High School,Dewsbury College (now Kirklees College), and theUniversity of Leeds. She attendedthe College of Law, York (now the University of Law), and completed her professional legal training thereafter with both theCrown Prosecution Service and theHome Office Immigration Department.[11] After qualifying as a solicitor in 1996, she worked for the Conservative MP for Dewsbury,John Whitfield, at Whitfield Hallam Goodall Solicitors, and then set up a practice in Dewsbury.[12][13]
Warsi was the Conservativeparliamentary candidate forDewsbury at the2005 general election, having been added to the Conservative Party A-List for priority candidates, and thereby becoming the first Muslim woman to be selected by the Conservatives.[14] She placed second with Labour retaining the seat. Following the election, she served as a Special Adviser toMichael Howard for Community Relations and was appointed byDavid Cameron as Vice Chair of the Conservative Party with specific responsibility for cities.[15]
On 2 July 2007, Warsi was appointedShadow Minister forCommunity Cohesion.[16] To enable her to fulfil this post, she was created alife peer asBaroness Warsi, ofDewsbury inthe County of West Yorkshire, on 11 October 2007[17] and wasintroduced in theHouse of Lords on 15 October 2007.[18] On joining theHouse of Lords, she became its youngest member.[19]
On 1 December 2007, Warsi travelled toKhartoum with the Labour peerLord Ahmed to mediate in theSudanese teddy bear blasphemy case. Prime MinisterGordon Brown commended both peers for their efforts regarding the issue.[20][21]
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On 12 May 2010,David Cameron appointed Warsi as Minister without Portfolio inCabinet, when she succeededEric Pickles asChairman of the Conservative Party, which she held jointly withAndrew Feldman. This appointment made Warsi the first Muslim woman to serve in the Cabinet.[22] Warsi was sworn into thePrivy Council the next day.[23]
In September 2012, David Cameron conducted hisfirst Cabinet reshuffle. Despite wishing to remain in the role, during the reshuffle Warsi was replaced as Chairwoman of the Conservative Party byGrant Shapps.[24][25] While Warsi was offered a cabinet position without a ministry, she turned down the offer, concerned it would appeartokenistic. Instead she requested a ministerial position.[24][26] Warsi was appointed to the restyled post ofSenior Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, and to the post of Minister for Faith and Communities in theDepartment of Communities and Local Government—a role created specifically for her in a ministry she had shadowed in Opposition.[26]
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At theForeign and Commonwealth Office she was responsible for country-specific policies concerning Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh along with international organisations. In addition she was responsible for leading Foreign and Commonwealth Office business in the House of Lords[27]
At theDepartment for Communities and Local Government Lady Warsi worked with religious and community leaders to promote faith, religious tolerance and stronger communities within the UK.[28]
Warsi established and co-chaired HM Government's firstMinisterial Task Force onIslamic Finance.[29][30][31] At the World Islamic Economic Forum, the UK Government announced that Warsi would chair a new Global Islamic Finance and Investment Group.[32]
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In a public speech inWashington, D.C. in 2013, Warsi highlighted persecution of Christians in parts of the world.[34]
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On 5 August 2014, Warsi resigned from the Government citing concerns that she was no longer able to support the Cameron Government's policy on the escalation of violence in the2014 Israel–Gaza War. In her resignation letter, she described the Government's policy as "morally indefensible" and "not consistent with the rule of law."[35][36][37][38][39][40] After resigning she called for an arms embargo against Israel."[35] She also expressed concern about the way recent decisions had been made in theForeign Office,[41] as well as the Conservatives' refusal to recognise theState of Palestine.[42] Warsi described the tipping point for her resignation was David Cameron's refusal to condemn Israeli shelling that killed four Palestinian children as they were playing football.[42]
On 11 March 2024,The Guardian reported that Conservative Party donorFrank Hester said in 2019 that Labour MPDiane Abbott made him "want to hate all black women" and that "she should be shot".[43] Hester apologised to Abbott on Twitter after the article published, stating that his comments were "rude" and had "nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin". FollowingRishi Sunak's refusal to hand back Hester's donations or strip Hester of Party membership, on 17 March Warsi described the party as "institutionally xenophobic and racist".[44] Speaking also of the time taken to suspend MPLee Anderson, Warsi stated that Sunak's judgement in both cases "appears to be delayed and appears to be wrong."[44]
On 26 September 2024, Warsi resigned the ConservativeWhip in the House of Lords citing concerns of double standards against minorities within the party, that the Conservatives had movedfar right.[45][46]
The gay rights organisationStonewall, along with several Labour politicians, questioned her suitability for a high-profile Conservative Party role, owing to leaflets issued during her 2005 election campaign that claimed thatlowering the age of consent in 2001 had "[allowed] school children to be propositioned for homosexual relationships" and that homosexuality "undermines family life". Warsi described the contents of the leaflets as "fact".[47] On a 2009 episode ofQuestion Time, Warsi was supportive of same-sexcivil partnerships.[48] Speaking in December 2013 at aBNP Paribas event in support ofKaleidoscope Trust, she apologised for her leaflets and said the Conservative Party had been "on the wrong side of history" on gay rights.[49]
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Following a confrontation in November 2009 by a group of protestors inLuton accusing her of not being a proper Muslim, a man was jailed for six weeks for a public order offence of throwing an egg at Warsi.[50][51]
Warsi argued against following the example of France by banning Muslim women from wearing the veil, as this was "not the British way", although she commented that those who choose to wear garments such as the full-face veil must accept that there are some situations in which it is not appropriate.[52][53]
In 2009, she was named as "Britain's most powerful Muslim woman" by anEquality and Human Rights Commission panel and in 2010 as one of the world's "500 most influential Muslims" by theRoyal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre, a Middle Eastthink tank.[54][55][56]
In the April 2016 issue ofDabiq magazine, TheIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant declared her amurtadd (orapostate) for being among a group of "overtcrusaders" who "directly involve themselves in politics and enforcing the laws ofkufr".[57]
In February 2018 Warsi received a front-page apology and a payout of £20,000 over a claim in an opinion piece in the UK publication Jewish News that she had sought to excuse the conduct of the Islamic State terrorist group.[58]
On 20 June 2016, three days before thereferendum on membership of the European Union, Warsi said that she could no longer support the Leave campaign because of what she claimed was itsxenophobia, and would vote to remain within the EU. A spokesman forVote Leave said that they were not aware that Warsi had ever been a supporter.[59]
In May 2018, Warsi stated that thePrime Minister,Theresa May should publicly acknowledge thatIslamophobia was a problem in the Conservative Party and that the party was in denial about the problem."[60][61][62][63]
In July that year, a week after theMuslim Council of Britain repeated its call for an independent inquiry into Islamophobia and accused the Conservatives of turning a blind eye to Islamophobia claims,[64] Warsi called on the Conservatives to launch a "full independent inquiry" into Islamophobia in the party. She accused Conservative ChairBrandon Lewis of a "woefully inept" response to recent complaints and added that MPZac Goldsmith should receive "mandatory diversity training" following his unsuccessful attempt to beatSadiq Khan to becomeMayor of London.[65]
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In September 2010, during the visit ofPope Benedict XVIto England and Scotland, Warsi said the Labour Government appeared to have viewedreligion as "essentially a rather quaint relic of our pre-industrial history. They were also too suspicious of faith's potential for contributing to society – behind every faith-based charity, they sensed the whiff of conversion and exclusivity. And because of these prejudices they didn't create policies to unleash the positive power of faith in our society."[66]
She returned to this theme, as a Cabinet minister, in February 2012, saying "Britain is under threat from a rising tide of militant secularisation", before an official visit to theVatican to mark the 30th anniversary of the re-establishment of full diplomatic ties between the UK and the Vatican.[67]
She added, "I am not calling for some kind of 21st century theocracy. Religious faith and its followers do not have the only answer. There will be times when politicians and faith leaders will disagree. What is more, secularism is not intrinsically damaging. My concern is when secularisation is pushed to an extreme, when it requires the complete removal of faith from the public sphere".[68] A Muslim herself, Warsi says that Europe needs to be "more confident and more comfortable in its Christianity".[67]
On theChurch of England, she insists she had "no doubts whatsoever" about maintaining its position as theEstablished Church, describing it as a "bedrock" of society. She believes "the system works": "We have an Established Church", it has "a unique position" and an "obligation to all of its parishioners irrespective of their faith". She thinks "it is an incredibly positive aspect of our life in Britain and long may it continue."[69]
In November 2013, Warsi told an audience at theUniversity of Cambridge that faith was being put back at the "heart of government", as it had been underWinston Churchill andMargaret Thatcher. The Coalition, she argued, is one of the "most pro-faith governments in the West ... More often than not, people who do God do good." She said that religious groups must be allowed to provide public services without the State being "suspicious of their motives". Quoting Thatcher she said, "I wonder whether the State services would have done as much for the man who fell among thieves as the Good Samaritan did for him?"[69]
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In May 2012, Warsi apologised for failing to declare rental income in theLords'Register of Interests. Declaring the fact of income, but not the amount, is necessary for rental income over £5,000.[70]
On 27 May 2012, criticisms of her claims for parliamentary expenses were reported. The Labour Opposition urged a full police investigation into her expenses after it was alleged that she claimed up to £2,000 in rent despite staying rent-free in the London home of a Conservative Party donor,Dr Wafik Moustafa. Moustafa claims that he received no money from Warsi. Though he stated it was not personal, Moustafa was in a political dispute with Warsi concerning the Conservative Arab Network.[71]
Labour MPJohn Mann expressed his intention to refer these claims to theLords Commissioner for Standards, but Warsi pre-empted this by referring them herself.[72]
Sir Alex Allan found Warsi to have twice breached the Ministerial Code, though he concluded these were minor and noted that she had apologised. The first was in relation to a trip to Pakistan where she failed to declare that she was being accompanied by a business partner but Sir Alex found that even were Baroness Warsi to have declared the relationship it would not have prevented the trip from going ahead. The second was when she invited her business partner (Abid Hussain) to meetDavid Cameron at a Number 10 Downing StreetEid event.[73]
The Conservative Party leadership was criticised in some quarters for holding Baroness Warsi to account on the Ministerial Code while apparently having a more relaxed approach toJeremy Hunt, who was Culture Secretary at that time.[74] Following the publication of the report,David Cameron said Baroness Warsi would remain in her job.[73]
Warsi is a Pro Vice-Chancellor of theUniversity of Bolton, having been appointed in 2016.[75]
At the age of 15, when on holiday with her extended family in Pakistan,[76] a number of boys were introduced to her, and from them she chose her cousin Naeem. They married in 1990 and had a daughter. Naeem later denied that the marriage had beenarranged.[77][78][79] Theydivorced in December 2007.[79]
Warsi describes herself as a "Northern working-class mum".[80] She is a member of theCarlton Club, and a shareholder of Rupert's Recipes Limited and Shire Bed Company.[81] On 20 August 2009, she married Iftikhar Azam in anikah ceremony at her parents' house inDewsbury. The couple live inWakefield with their five children.[79]
She set up the Baroness Warsi Foundation to fund projects that seek to improve social mobility, increase gender equality and promote religious understanding.[82]
In addition to the English language, Warsi is fluent inPunjabi,Urdu andGujarati.[16]
In December 2016, Warsi took a cameo role in theBBC One sitcomCitizen Khan.[83] In 2022, she appeared alongsideAlastair Campbell as one of the political experts on Channel 4'sMake Me Prime Minister.[84] She also took part in a special episode of comedy panel showTaskmaster which aired on a New Year's Day 2022.[85]
In January 2015, Warsi was nominated for the Muslim Woman of the Year award at theBritish Muslim Awards.[86]
| Country | Date | Appointment | Post-nominal letters |
|---|---|---|---|
 United Kingdom | 13 May 2010 – Present | Member of His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council[88][89] | PC |
 |
| Country | Date | Appointment | Post-nominal letters |
|---|---|---|---|
 Pakistan | 23 March 2020 – Present | Sitara-e-Pakistan | [90][91] |
|
| Location | Date | School | Degree |
|---|---|---|---|
 England | 1987 – 1989 | Dewsbury College | [92] |
| England | 1992 | University of Leeds | Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) |
| England | The College of Law, York | Legal Practice Course (LPC)[93] |
| Location | Date | School | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | September 2015 – | St Mary's University, Twickenham | Visiting Professor[94] |
| England | 13 January 2016 – | University of Bolton | Pro-vice-chancellor[95][96] |
| England | Bolton College | Governor[97] |
|
| Location | Date | School | Degree | Gave Commencement Address |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 24 July 2015 | Aston University | Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.)[98] | |
| England | July 2015 | University of Bolton | Doctor of Social Science (D.SSc.)[99][100] | |
| England | April 2017 | University of Law | Doctorate[93] | |
| England | January 2018 | Birmingham City University | Doctorate[101] |
|
| Country | Date | Organisation | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 2010 – Present | Carlton Club | Honorary Member[102] |
| United Kingdom | January 2017 – Present | Council for Arab-British Understanding (Caabu) | Patron[103] |
| United Kingdom | 2018 – 2023 | The Yorkshire Sculpture Park | Member of the Board of Trustees[104] |
| United Kingdom | 3 December 2021 – Present | The Yorkshire Society | Vice President[105][106] |
| United Kingdom | 2023 – Present | Conservative Friends of Palestine | Chairman[107] |
|
Lastly, one must not overlook the overt crusaders, those who don't even wear the cloak of da'wah, but instead directly involve themselves in politics and enforcing the laws of kufr, like (in the US) Mohamed Elibiary, Arif Alikhan, Rashad Hussain, Keith Ellison, Huma Abedin, etc. and (in the UK) Muhammad Abdul Bari, Sayeeda Warsi, Waqar Azmi,Sajid Javid, Ajmal Masroor, and other politically active apostates... (p. 17)
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| New office | Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion and Social Action 2007–2010 | Position abolished |
| Preceded by | Minister without Portfolio 2010–2012 | Succeeded by |
| Minister of State for Faith and Communities 2012–2014 | Succeeded byas Minister of State for Faith | |
| Preceded by | Senior Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 2012–2014 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chairman of the Conservative Party 2010–2012 Served alongside:The Lord Feldman of Elstree | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
