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. From 2010 to 2012, she was a co-chairwoman of the Conservative Party.
Baroness Warsi 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 the Minister of State for Faith and Communities. She resigned in August 2014 because she disagreed with the government's policy on the conflict in the Middle East. In September 2024, Baroness Warsi left the Conservative Party.
Warsi grew up in West Yorkshire. Her family were 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.
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Early Life and Education
Sayeeda Warsi was born in Dewsbury, England, on 28 March 1971. She is the second of five daughters. Her parents were immigrants from Pakistan. Her father started a bed manufacturing company after working as a mill worker and bus driver. Warsi has said that her father's success helped her believe in Conservative ideas.
She went to Birkdale High School and Dewsbury College. She also studied at the University of Leeds and the University of Law. After becoming a solicitor in 1996, she worked for a Conservative Member of Parliament (MP). Later, she started her own law practice in Dewsbury.
Journey into Politics
Warsi became a candidate for the Conservative Party in the 2005 general election. She was the first Muslim woman chosen by the Conservatives to run for Parliament. She did not win the election, but she came in second place.
After the election, she became a special advisor to Michael Howard on community relations. David Cameron then appointed her as Vice Chair of the Conservative Party. Her job was to focus on cities.
Joining the House of Lords
On 2 July 2007, Warsi was made a Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion. To do this job, she was made a life peer. This means she was given the title of Baroness Warsi and a seat in the House of Lords. She officially joined the House of Lords on 15 October 2007. At that time, she was the youngest member of the House of Lords.
In 2007, Warsi traveled to Sudan with another politician, Lord Ahmed. They helped solve a situation involving a teacher there. The Prime Minister at the time, Gordon Brown, praised them for their efforts.
Key Government Roles
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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. This made her the first Muslim woman to serve in the Cabinet, which is a group of senior ministers in the government.
In September 2012, David Cameron changed some of his Cabinet ministers. Warsi was replaced as Chairwoman of the Conservative Party. She was offered another Cabinet position, but she wanted a role with specific responsibilities. She was then appointed as the Senior Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. She also became the Minister for Faith and Communities. This new role was created especially for her.
Minister of State Responsibilities
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As Senior Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, she worked on policies for countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. She also represented the Foreign Office in the House of Lords.
As Minister for Faith and Communities, Lady Warsi worked with religious and community leaders. Her goal was to promote faith, religious tolerance, and stronger communities across the UK.
She also helped set up the government's first special group on Islamic Finance. This group aimed to encourage financial services that follow Islamic principles.
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In 2013, Warsi gave a speech in Washington, D.C. She talked about the persecution of Christians in different parts of the world.
Leaving the Government
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On 5 August 2014, Warsi resigned from the government. She said she could no longer support the government's policy on the conflict in the Middle East. In her resignation letter, she called the policy "morally indefensible." After resigning, she suggested that the UK should stop selling weapons to Israel. She also expressed concerns about how decisions were made in the Foreign Office.
After Government Service
In March 2024, Warsi spoke out about concerns regarding fairness and equality within the Conservative Party. She described the party as "institutionally xenophobic and racist" after a donor's controversial comments. She also criticized the time it took to suspend an MP, saying the Prime Minister's judgment "appears to be delayed and appears to be wrong."
On 26 September 2024, Warsi officially left the Conservative Party. She stated her concerns about double standards against minorities and that the party had moved too far to the right.
Baroness Warsi's Views
Equal Rights
In 2005, some of Warsi's election leaflets were criticized for their views on gay rights. However, in 2009, she supported same-sex civil partnerships. In 2013, she apologized for her past leaflets. She said the Conservative Party had been "on the wrong side of history" regarding gay rights.
Islam and Society
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Warsi has spoken about the importance of religious freedom. She argued against banning Muslim women from wearing the veil, saying it was "not the British way." However, she also said that those who wear full-face veils must accept that it's not always appropriate in every situation.
In 2009, she was named "Britain's most powerful Muslim woman." In 2010, she was listed as one of the world's "500 most influential Muslims."
Views on Europe
In June 2016, just before the vote on whether the UK should leave the European Union (Brexit), Warsi changed her mind. She had supported leaving but then decided to vote to remain. She said she could no longer support the Leave campaign because of what she called its negative tone.
Concerns about Islamophobia
In May 2018, Warsi stated that Theresa May, the Prime Minister at the time, should admit that Islamophobia was a problem in the Conservative Party. She said the party was denying the issue.
In July 2018, Warsi called for a "full independent inquiry" into Islamophobia in the party. She criticized the party's response to complaints.
Church and Society
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In 2010, Warsi said that the previous Labour government had seen religion as an old-fashioned idea. She believed they were too suspicious of how faith could help society. She argued that this prevented them from creating policies that could use the positive power of faith.
In 2012, she said that "Britain is under threat from a rising tide of militant secularisation." She meant that some people were pushing to remove faith completely from public life. Warsi, a Muslim, believes that Europe should be "more confident and more comfortable in its Christianity."
She strongly supports the Church of England remaining the official state church. She calls it a "bedrock" of society. She believes the system works well and that the Church has a duty to everyone, no matter their faith.
In 2013, Warsi told an audience that faith was being brought back to the "heart of government." She said that religious groups should be allowed to provide public services without the government being suspicious of their reasons.
Life Outside Politics
Warsi is a Pro Vice-Chancellor at the University of Bolton. She was appointed to this role in 2016.
Personal Life
At 15, Warsi married her cousin Naeem. They had a daughter and later divorced in 2007.
Warsi describes herself as a "Northern working-class mum." In 2009, she married Iftikhar Azam. They live in Wakefield with their five children.
She created the Baroness Warsi Foundation. This foundation supports projects that help people move up in society, improve equality between genders, and promote understanding between different religions.
Besides English, Warsi can speak Punjabi, Urdu, and Gujarati.
TV Appearances
Warsi has appeared on television shows. In 2016, she had a small role in the BBC One comedy Citizen Khan. In 2022, she was a political expert on Channel 4's Make Me Prime Minister. 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 Honours
In January 2015, Warsi was nominated for the Muslim Woman of the Year award at the British Muslim Awards.
Honours
- She was given a Life Peerage on 11 October 2007. This allowed her to sit in the House of Lords. She officially joined the House of Lords on 15 October 2007. She took the title of Baroness Warsi, of Dewsbury in the County of West Yorkshire.
- She became a member of the Privy Council on 13 May 2010. This is a group of senior advisors to the King.
Foreign Honours
- She received the Sitara-e-Pakistan from Pakistan on 23 March 2020. This is a high civilian award.
Academic Achievements
- She studied at Dewsbury College from 1987 to 1989.
- She earned a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) from the University of Leeds in 1992.
- She completed her Legal Practice Course (LPC) at the College of Law, York.
Academic Positions
- She became a Visiting Professor at St Mary's University, Twickenham in September 2015.
- She became a Pro-vice-chancellor at the University of Bolton on 13 January 2016.
- She is also a Governor at Bolton College.
Honorary Degrees
- She received an honorary Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) from Aston University on 24 July 2015.
- She received an honorary Doctor of Social Science (D.SSc.) from the University of Bolton in July 2015.
- She received an honorary Doctorate from the University of Law in April 2017.
- She received an honorary Doctorate from Birmingham City University in January 2018.
Memberships
- She has been an Honorary Member of the Carlton Club since 2010.
- She became a Patron of the Council for Arab-British Understanding (Caabu) in January 2017.
- She became Vice President of The Yorkshire Society on 3 December 2021.
- She became Chairman of Conservative Friends of Palestine in 2023.
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
