Sayeeda Warsi, Baroness Warsi
The Baroness Warsi | |
|---|---|
| Chairman of the Conservative Party | |
| Assumed office 11 May 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Eric Pickles |
| Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion and Social Action | |
| In office 2 July 2007 – 11 May 2010 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Sayeeda Hussain Warsi 28 March 1971 Dewsbury, Yorkshire |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Alma mater | University of Leeds |
Sayeeda Hussain Warsi, Baroness Warsi (born 28 March 1971) is a British politician for the Conservative Party and a lawyer. Since the UK General Election, 2010 she has been the Chairman of the Conservative Party, sitting in the Cabinet
Early life
Baroness Warsi was born in Dewsbury, Yorkshire in 1971 to Pakistani parents. She was educated at Birkdale High School, Dewsbury College, and the University of Leeds where she read Law (LLB). She attended the York College of Law to complete her Legal Practice Course and trained with both the Crown Prosecution Service and the Home Office Immigration Department.
After qualifying as a Solicitor, she worked for John Whitfield, the last Conservative Member of Parliament for Dewsbury at Whitfield Hallam Goodall Solicitors and then set up her own specialist practice George Warsi Solicitors in Dewsbury. She has also worked overseas for the Ministry of Law in Pakistan and in Kashmir as Chairman of the Savayra Foundation, a women's empowerment charity.
Life Peer
Baroness Warsi was the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Dewsbury at the 2005 General Election, becoming the first Muslim woman to be selected by the Conservatives. She lost that election by nearly 5000 votes. She has served as a special adviser to Michael Howard on Community Relations and was appointed by David Cameron as Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party with specific responsibility for Cities.
In its December edition, the New Statesman 'revealed' that the Baroness received support for her general election campaign from Lord Ahmed, a Labour peer.[1] According to the New Statesman's report, Warsi "welcomed Lord Ahmed's support".
On 2 July 2007 Baroness Warsi was appointed Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion and a working peer.[2] Her peerage was conferred as Baroness Warsi, of Dewsbury in the County of West Yorkshire on 11 October 2007 and gazetted on 26 October 2007.[3][4] She is, by October 2007, the youngest member of the House of Lords.[5]
On 1 December 2007, Baroness Warsi travelled with Lord Ahmed to meet for talks with Sudanese officials and Ministers, in response to the jailing of an English teacher, Gillian Gibbons. Gibbons had been found guilty of insulting Islam, after allowing her class to name a teddy bear Mohammed. This had resulted in her prosecution and a 15 day jail sentence. Although Baroness Warsi's and Lord Ahmed's meeting with the Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir did not lead directly to Mrs Gibbons being pardoned, it is acknowledged that, along with the enormous efforts made by Gillian Gibbons's family, friends, and others, it may have indirectly contributed to her release.[6][7]
Criticism
The Gay rights organisation Stonewall, as well as several Labour politicians, have questioned her suitability for her current job owing to leaflets issued during her election campaign which contained views which they claimed were homophobic. Some of her 2005 campaign leaflets claimed that Labour's lowering of the homosexual age of consent from 18 to 16 was "allowing schoolchildren to be propositioned for homosexual relationships",[8] and that homosexuality was being peddled to children as young as seven in schools.[9] On the subject, Baroness Warsi said that "I look back at lots of my election leaflets and think, 'God - why did I phrase it like that? What was I on?" adding "There was a whole team that was involved in my election leaflets. Looking back on it, maybe I could have used much better language than that", while adding her belief that sex education should be "out of the school system, initially".[8]
Other comments have also provoked anger, when she went on record saying that people who back the British National Party (BNP), may even have a point. "They have some very legitimate views. People who say 'we are concerned about crime and justice in our communities – we are concerned about immigration in our communities'". [10][11] On 22 October 2009 Baroness Warsi represented the Conservatives on a controversial edition of Question Time marking the first ever appearance of Nick Griffin leader of the BNP.[12] During that broadcast she strongly criticised the BNP, and when directly asked whether she was in favour of civil partnerships, replied "I think that people who want to be in a relationship together, in the form of a civil partnership, absolutely have the right to do that."[13]
On 30 November 2009 she was pelted with eggs by a group of 'Extremist Wahabis' whilst on a walkabout of Luton; the protesters accused her of not being a proper Muslim and supporting the death of Muslims in Afghanistan. She was said to have debated with the protesters and was taken to a shop for protection. Baroness Warsi told the BBC that the men were "idiots who did not represent the majority of British Muslims". She later continued her walkabout with police protection.[14]
Styles
- Miss Sayeeda Warsi (1971–2007)
- The Right Honourable The Baroness Warsi (2007–)
References
- ^ Labour peer urged support for Tories in 2005 election - New Statesman - 30 November 2006
- ^ Profile: Sayeeda Warsi - BBC News - 2 July 2007
- ^ New Members UK Parliament
- ^ You must specify date= when using {{London Gazette}}.
- ^ Members and principal office holders of the Lords UK Parliament
- ^ Teacher speaks of Sudan 'ordeal' - BBC News - 4 December 2007
- ^ Tory peer's triumph delights Cameron - The Guardian - 4 December 2007
- ^ a b 'Homophobic' leaflet used again by Tory candidate - Pink News - 11 July 2007
- ^ Adviser to Tory leader attacks gay sex laws - The Guardian, 27 April 2005
- ^ Sayeeda Warsi and the BNP Pickled Politics, 1 October 2007
- ^ Immigration... Immigration... Immigration: Cameron hoped to ignore it. But now it's back with a vengeance The Independent, 30 September 2007
- ^ John Plunkett "Tory peer Sayeeda Warsi confirmed for Question Time with BNP leader" The Guardian, 15 October 2009
- ^ Question Time, 22 October 2009
- ^ "Tory Muslim peer pelted with eggs". BBC News. 30 November 2009.
External links
- Sayeeda Warsi official website
- Profile at the Conservative Party
- Profile at BBC Politics
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