Sayeeda Warsi, Baroness Warsi

The Right Honourable
The Baroness Warsi
PC
Official portrait, 2018
Senior Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
In office
6 September 2012 – 5 August 2014
Prime MinisterDavid Cameron
Preceded byThe Lord Howell of Guildford
Succeeded byThe Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Minister of State for Faith and Communities
In office
6 September 2012 – 5 August 2014
Prime MinisterDavid Cameron
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byEric Pickles
Minister without Portfolio
In office
12 May 2010 – 6 September 2012
Prime MinisterDavid Cameron
Preceded byHazel Blears[a]
Succeeded byKen Clarke
Grant Shapps
Chairwoman of the Conservative Party
In office
12 May 2010 – 4 September 2012
Served with The Lord Feldman of Elstree
LeaderDavid Cameron
Preceded byEric Pickles
Succeeded byGrant Shapps
Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion and Social Action
In office
2 July 2007 – 11 May 2010
LeaderDavid Cameron
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byOffice abolished
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
Life peerage
11 October 2007 – present
Personal details
Born (1971-03-28) 28 March 1971 (age 53)
Dewsbury, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Political partyConservativea
Alma materDewsbury College (now Kirklees College)
University of Leeds
University of Law
a.^ resigned whip on 26 September 2024

Sayeeda Hussain Warsi, Baroness Warsi, PC (/ˈvɑːrsiː/;[1] born 28 March 1971) is a British lawyer, politician, and member of the House of Lords who served as co-chairwoman of the Conservative Party from 2010 to 2012. She served in the Cameron–Clegg coalition, first as the Minister without portfolio between 2010 and 2012, then as the Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (styled as "Senior Minister of State") and as the Minister of State for Faith and Communities, until her resignation citing her disagreement with the Government's policy relating to the Israel–Gaza conflict in August 2014. In September 2024 Baroness Warsi resigned the Whip and left the Conservative Party.[2]

Warsi grew up in a family of Pakistani Muslim immigrants living in West Yorkshire.[3] She became a solicitor with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). In 2004, she left the CPS to stand, unsuccessfully, for election to the House of Commons. After being raised to the peerage in 2007, Warsi served as Shadow 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 Party whip in the House of Lords.[5][6]


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ Counsell, Michael (5 December 2017). The Canterbury Preacher's Companion 2018: 150 complete sermons for Sundays, Festivals and Special Occasions. Canterbury Press. ISBN 9781848259430 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ Townsend, Mark. "Lady Warsi on Palestine, Islam, quitting ... and how to stay true to your beliefs". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  3. ^ "Baroness Warsi speech at Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque". gov.uk. 18 February 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  4. ^ "Baroness Warsi quits as Foreign Office minister over Gaza". BBC News. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  5. ^ Heren, Kit (26 September 2024). "Baroness Sayeeda Warsi steps down from 'hypocritical' Conservatives as she claims party has moved 'too far right'". LBC. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
  6. ^ Elgot, Jessica (26 September 2024). "Warsi resigns Tory whip, says party has moved too far to the right". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2024.