Sayeeda Warsi, Baroness Warsi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Baroness Warsi
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Official portrait, 2018
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| Senior Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs | |
| In office 6 September 2012 – 5 August 2014 |
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| 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 |
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| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Eric Pickles |
| Minister without Portfolio | |
| In office 12 May 2010 – 6 September 2012 |
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| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Hazel Blears |
| Succeeded by | Ken Clarke Grant Shapps |
| Chairwoman of the Conservative Party | |
| In office 12 May 2010 – 4 September 2012 Served with The Lord Feldman of Elstree |
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| 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 |
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| Leader | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Member of the House of Lords | |
| Life peerage 11 October 2007 – present |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 28 March 1971 Dewsbury, West Riding of Yorkshire, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Alma mater | Dewsbury College (now Kirklees College) University of Leeds University of Law |
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Sayeeda Hussain Warsi, Baroness Warsi (born 28 March 1971) is a British lawyer and politician. She is a member of the House of Lords, which is part of the UK Parliament.
Baroness Warsi was a leader of the Conservative Party from 2010 to 2012. She also served in the government led by David Cameron. She was a Minister without Portfolio from 2010 to 2012. Later, she became the Senior Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Minister of State for Faith and Communities. She resigned in August 2014 because she disagreed with the government's policy on a conflict in the Middle East.
In September 2024, Baroness Warsi decided to leave the Conservative Party.
Warsi grew up in West Yorkshire in a family of Pakistani Muslim immigrants. She became a solicitor, which is a type of lawyer. In 2007, she became a life peer, which means she was given a special title and a seat in the House of Lords for life. She was the first Muslim woman to serve as a Cabinet Minister in the UK government.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Sayeeda Warsi's grandfathers both served in the British Indian army. She was born in Dewsbury, West Riding of Yorkshire. She is the second of five daughters. Her parents came to the UK from Bewal, Pakistan. Her father owned a bed manufacturing company and used to be a mill worker and bus driver. Warsi has said that her father's success helped her believe in Conservative ideas.
Warsi went to Birkdale High School, Dewsbury College, and the University of Leeds. She studied law at the College of Law, York (now the University of Law). After becoming a solicitor in 1996, she worked for a Member of Parliament (MP) and then started her own law firm in Dewsbury.
Political Journey
Warsi first tried to become a Member of Parliament for Dewsbury in the 2005 general election. She was the first Muslim woman chosen by the Conservative Party to run for election. She came in second place, and the Labour Party kept the seat. After the election, she advised Michael Howard on community relations. Later, David Cameron made her Vice Chair of the Conservative Party, focusing on cities.
Joining the House of Lords
On 2 July 2007, Warsi was appointed as a Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion. To take on this role, she was made a life peer on 11 October 2007. This meant she became Baroness Warsi, of Dewsbury in West Yorkshire. She officially joined the House of Lords on 15 October 2007. When she joined, she was the youngest member of the House of Lords.
Roles in Government
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On 12 May 2010, David Cameron appointed Warsi as a Minister without Portfolio in the Cabinet. She also became the co-Chairwoman of the Conservative Party, sharing the role with Andrew Feldman. This made Warsi the first Muslim woman to be part of the Cabinet.
In September 2012, David Cameron changed some of his government ministers. Warsi was replaced as Chairwoman of the Conservative Party. She was then appointed as the Senior Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. She also became the Minister for Faith and Communities, a new role created for her.
Ministerial Responsibilities
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At the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, she worked on policies for countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. She also led the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's work in the House of Lords.
At the Department for Communities and Local Government, Lady Warsi worked with religious and community leaders. Her goal was to promote faith, religious tolerance, and stronger communities across the UK.
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In 2013, in a speech in Washington, D.C., Warsi spoke about the unfair treatment of Christians in some parts of the world.
Leaving the Government
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On 5 August 2014, Warsi resigned from the government. She stated that she could no longer support the government's policy on a conflict in the Middle East. In her resignation letter, she said the policy was "morally indefensible." After leaving, she suggested that the UK should stop selling weapons to Israel. She also expressed concerns about how decisions were made and the Conservative Party's refusal to recognize the State of Palestine.
After Government Roles
In March 2024, Warsi described the Conservative Party as "institutionally xenophobic and racist." This was after comments made by a party donor about a Labour MP. She also criticized the Prime Minister's handling of these issues.
On 26 September 2024, Warsi resigned from the Conservative Party in the House of Lords. She said she was concerned about unfair treatment of minorities within the party and felt the Conservatives had moved too far to the right.
Her Views
Equality and Rights
Baroness Warsi has spoken about gay rights. She apologized for some leaflets used in her 2005 election campaign that had negative comments about homosexuality. In 2013, she said the Conservative Party had been "on the wrong side of history" on gay rights. She now supports equality for all.
Islam and Society
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Warsi has spoken about the role of Islam in society. She believes that Muslim women should not be banned from wearing the veil, saying it is "not the British way." However, she also said that those who wear full-face veils must accept that there are some situations where it is not suitable.
In 2009, she was called "Britain's most powerful Muslim woman." In 2010, she was named one of the world's "500 most influential Muslims."
Brexit
On 20 June 2016, just before the vote on whether the UK should leave the European Union (known as Brexit), Warsi said she could no longer support the campaign to leave. She said this was because of what she called its "xenophobia," which means dislike or fear of people from other countries. She then decided to vote to remain in the EU.
Tackling Islamophobia
In May 2018, Warsi said that the Prime Minister, Theresa May, should publicly admit that Islamophobia (unfair treatment or fear of Muslims) was a problem in the Conservative Party. She felt the party was not facing the issue.
In July 2018, Warsi called for a full independent investigation into Islamophobia within the Conservative Party. She said that the party's response to complaints was not good enough.
Faith and Public Life
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In September 2010, Warsi said that the previous government had seen religion as an old-fashioned idea. She believed they were too suspicious of how faith could help society. She argued that faith-based charities were doing good work.
In February 2012, she said that "Britain is under threat from a rising tide of militant secularisation." This means she felt that some people were trying to remove faith completely from public life. She visited the Vatican to mark 30 years of diplomatic ties between the UK and the Vatican.
Warsi believes that Europe should be "more confident and more comfortable in its Christianity." She also strongly supports the Church of England remaining the official church of the country. She sees it as a "bedrock" of British society.
In November 2013, Warsi said that faith was being brought back to the "heart of government." She argued that religious groups should be allowed to provide public services without the government being suspicious of their reasons.
Other Activities
Since 2016, Warsi has been a Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bolton.
Personal Life
At 15, while on holiday in Pakistan, Sayeeda Warsi met her cousin Naeem and they married in 1990. They had a daughter and later divorced in 2007.
Warsi describes herself as a "Northern working-class mum." In August 2009, she married Iftikhar Azam. They live in Wakefield with their five children.
She started the Baroness Warsi Foundation. This foundation helps projects that aim to improve social mobility, increase equality between genders, and promote understanding between different religions.
Besides English, Warsi can speak Punjabi, Urdu, and Gujarati.
TV Appearances
In December 2016, Warsi had a small role in the BBC One comedy show Citizen Khan. In 2022, she appeared on Channel 4's Make Me Prime Minister as a political expert. She also took part in a special episode of the comedy show Taskmaster in 2022.
Books Written
- The Enemy Within: A Tale of Muslim Britain (2018)
- Muslims Don't Matter (2024)
Awards and Recognitions
In January 2015, Warsi was nominated for the Muslim Woman of the Year award at the British Muslim Awards.
Honours and Degrees
- She was given a Life Peerage on 11 October 2007, allowing her to sit in the House of Lords. She took the title of Baroness Warsi, of Dewsbury.
- On 13 May 2010, she became a member of His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, which is a group of senior advisors to the King.
- On 23 March 2020, she received the Sitara-e-Pakistan from Pakistan, which is a high civilian award.
- She has received honorary doctorates from several universities, including Aston University, University of Bolton, University of Law, and Birmingham City University.
Images for kids
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Official portrait, 2018
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Lady Warsi with Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, Secretary-General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in 2010
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Lady Warsi meeting Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Rassoul in Kabul in 2013
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Warsi at Kutupalong Refugee Camp for Rohingya in Bangladesh in 2013.
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Warsi leaves 10 Downing Street with William Hague in 2012.
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Lady Warsi with Amnesty youth activists who handed over a petition on Afghan women's rights in 2013.
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Warsi and Cardinal Nichols in 2012
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Sayeeda Warsi and Iftikhar Azam
See also
In Spanish: Sayeeda Warsi para niños
