Sayeeda Warsi, Baroness Warsi: Difference between revisions
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In March 2012, Warsi was criticised by a number of Conservative MPs at a meeting of the [[1922 Committee]] for her handling of [[Roger Helmer]] [[MEP]]'s defection to [[UKIP]]. A witness of the meeting said "She had a very very tough time. She got it with both barrels from MPs across the party. For the party chairman to get treated like that shows what people think of the party chairman." Another is reported to have said “I just thought she was out of her depth. I have never seen anything like it - other than the last time she was before the 1922. I genuinely think she is the worst chairman we have ever had." |
In March 2012, Warsi was criticised by a number of Conservative MPs at a meeting of the [[1922 Committee]] for her handling of [[Roger Helmer]] [[MEP]]'s defection to [[UKIP]]. A witness of the meeting said "She had a very very tough time. She got it with both barrels from MPs across the party. For the party chairman to get treated like that shows what people think of the party chairman." Another is reported to have said “I just thought she was out of her depth. I have never seen anything like it - other than the last time she was before the 1922. I genuinely think she is the worst chairman we have ever had." |
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<ref>[http://politics.standard.co.uk/2012/03/tories-give-warsi-both-barrels.html Politics | Blogs | Evening Standard<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> |
<ref>[http://politics.standard.co.uk/2012/03/tories-give-warsi-both-barrels.html Politics | Blogs | Evening Standard<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> |
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===UKIP Election Comment=== |
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During the BBC coverage of the [[United Kingdom local elections, 2012|2012 Local Elections]] Warsi caused controversy after linking the [[UK Independence Party]] to the [[British National Party]] in response to the rise in the UKIP vote.<ref name="Baroness Warsi sparks UKIP fury over BNP suggestion">{{cite news|title=Baroness Warsi sparks UKIP fury over BNP suggestion|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17948971|accessdate=4 May 2012|newspaper=BBC|date=4 May 2012}}</ref> she was quoted saying "Where UKIP is fielding candidates this time that the BNP did last time but they're not this time, I think that will have an impact."<ref>{{cite news|title=UKIP attack Tory chairman Baroness Warsi with 'unparliamentary language' for linking party to BNP|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/journalists/rowena-mason/9245200/UKIP-attack-Tory-chairman-Baroness-Warsi-with-unparliamentary-language-for-linking-party-to-BNP.html|accessdate=4 May 2012|newspaper=Daily Telegraph}}</ref> The comments caused the [[BBC]] political editor [[Nick Robinson]] to question her on the issues she raised. |
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==Personal life== |
==Personal life== |
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Revision as of 00:36, 5 July 2012
The Baroness Warsi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister without Portfolio | |
| Assumed office 12 May 2010 | |
| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Hazel Blears |
| Chairman of the Conservative Party | |
| Assumed office 12 May 2010 Serving with Lord Feldman | |
| Leader | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Eric Pickles |
| Shadow Minister of State for Community Cohesion and Social Action | |
| In office 2 July 2007 – 11 May 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 28 March 1971 Dewsbury, United Kingdom |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Alma mater | University of Leeds College of Law, York |
Sayeeda Hussain Warsi, Baroness Warsi (Urdu: سعیده حسین وارثی, born 28 March 1971) is a British solicitor and politician of Yorkshire origin who was created a life peer in 2007. In May 2010 she was appointed the co-Chairman, with Lord Feldman, of the Conservative Party, and a Minister without Portfolio in David Cameron's Cabinet. She is the third Muslim minister and the first female Muslim to serve as a minister in the UK, although she is unelected and has never won an election.
Early life and career
Warsi was the second of five daughters born in Dewsbury, West Riding of Yorkshire, in 1971, to Pakistani immigrants from Bewal, Gujar Khan. Her father, Safdar Hussain,[1] operates a bed manufacturing company, which has a turnover of £2 million a year, after starting life as a mill worker. It was featured in 2004 in the BBC TV troubleshooter series I'll Show Them Who's Boss where former head of Granada Gerry Robinson found problems and family disagreements "on a scale of Dallas or Dynasty" were keeping the firm out of profitability. Warsi has said that her father's success led her to adopting Conservative principles.[2]
Warsi was educated at Birkdale High School, Dewsbury College, and the University of Leeds, where she read Law (LLB). She attended the College of Law, York to complete her legal practice training and thereafter with both the Crown Prosecution Service and the Home Office Immigration Department.
After qualifying as a solicitor, she worked for the last Conservative MP for Dewsbury, John Whitfield, at Whitfield Hallam Goodall Solicitors. She then set up a practice in Dewsbury. She has also worked overseas for the Ministry of Law in Pakistan and in Kashmir as chairman of the Savayra Foundation.
Political career
Warsi was the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Dewsbury at the 2005 general election, becoming the first Muslim woman to be selected by the Conservatives. During the election campaign she was criticised for election literature which was described as "homophobic" by the gay equality organization Stonewall.[3] Warsi was defeated by 4,615 votes, achieving a lower share of the vote than in 2001, despite a national swing towards the Conservative party. She served as a special adviser to Michael Howard on community relations, and was appointed by David Cameron as chairman of the Conservative Party with specific responsibility for cities.
Life peer
On 2 July 2007 Warsi was appointed a working peer and Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion.[4] 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. On joining the House of Lords, she became its youngest member.[5]
On 1 December 2007 Baroness Warsi travelled to Khartoum, with the Labour peer Lord Ahmed, to mediate in the Sudanese teddy bear blasphemy case: a British citizen teaching at Unity High School had been prosecuted and jailed for insulting Islam, after allowing her class to name a teddy bear Mohammed. Although the peers' meeting with the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir did not lead directly to Gillian Gibbons being pardoned, it is acknowledged that, along with the enormous efforts made by her family, friends, and others, it may have been an indirect and helpful contribution to her release.[6][7]
Minister without portfolio
On 12 May 2010 David Cameron appointed Baroness Warsi Minister without portfolio, a cabinet post, when she succeeded Eric Pickles as chairman of the Conservative Party. Her appointment makes Warsi the first Muslim woman to serve in the Cabinet.[8]
She was sworn of the Privy Council on 13 May 2010.[9]
Parliamentary expenses
On 27 May 2012 there were criticisms of her claims for Parliamentary expenses. Opposition ministers urged a full police investigation into her parliamentary expenses after it was said that she claimed up to £2,000 in expenses despite staying 'rent-free' in the London home of a Conservative party donor, Dr Wafik Moustafa. Dr 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. [10]
John Mann MP (Labour) intended to refer the case to the Lords Commissioner for Standards but Warsi pre-empted this by referring it herself.[11]
Views
Gay rights
The gay rights organisation Stonewall, as well as several Labour politicians, questioned her suitability for a high-profile Conservative Party role owing to leaflets issued during her 2005 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 (under the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000) was "allowing schoolchildren to be propositioned for homosexual relationships",[12] and that homosexuality was being "peddled" to children as young as seven in schools.[13]
Immigration
Warsi said that people who back the British National Party (BNP) may 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'".[14][15] 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.[16] 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."[17]
Islam
On 30 November 2009 she was pelted with eggs by a group of Muslims whilst on a walkabout in Luton. The protesters accused her of not being a proper Muslim and of supporting the death of Muslims in Afghanistan. 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 a police escort.[18] In May 2010, British radical Islamic preacher Anjem Choudary warned that she could be in physical danger if she visited Muslim communities. He said she would be attacked by eggs every time she went near a Muslim community and some protesters may take the attacks further, because he did not view her as a Muslim and could not represent Islam or any Muslim due to her support of the military involvement of the British Army in some Muslim countries.[19]
In the context of the United Kingdom debate over veils, a Tory MP tried to ban women from wearing burqas in public in 2010. Warsi responded that the garment does not limit women from engaging in everyday life. Amidst critics who say the burqa is divisive and has no place in British society, she argued that the choice of what to wear should be down to the individual.[20]
Church and society
In September 2010 during the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to England and Scotland, Baroness Warsi said the Labour government appeared to have viewed religion 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," she said. "And because of these prejudices they didn't create policies to unleash the positive power of faith in our society."[21] 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 the Vatican to mark the 30th anniversary of the re-establishment of full diplomatic ties between Britain and the Vatican.[22] She went on to say "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".[23] While she herself is a Muslim, she says that Europe needs to be "more confident and more comfortable in its Christianity".[22]
Roger Helmer defection
In March 2012, Warsi was criticised by a number of Conservative MPs at a meeting of the 1922 Committee for her handling of Roger Helmer MEP's defection to UKIP. A witness of the meeting said "She had a very very tough time. She got it with both barrels from MPs across the party. For the party chairman to get treated like that shows what people think of the party chairman." Another is reported to have said “I just thought she was out of her depth. I have never seen anything like it - other than the last time she was before the 1922. I genuinely think she is the worst chairman we have ever had." [24]
UKIP Election Comment
During the BBC coverage of the 2012 Local Elections Warsi caused controversy after linking the UK Independence Party to the British National Party in response to the rise in the UKIP vote.[25] she was quoted saying "Where UKIP is fielding candidates this time that the BNP did last time but they're not this time, I think that will have an impact."[26] The comments caused the BBC political editor Nick Robinson to question her on the issues she raised.
Personal life
In 1990 Warsi married, and had one daughter.[27][28] She and her first husband divorced in December 2007. On 20 August 2009 Warsi married Iftikhar Azam in a Nikah ceremony at her parents’ house in Dewsbury.[29]
Styles
- Miss Sayeeda Warsi (1971–1990)
- Mrs Sayeeda Warsi (1990–2007)
- The Rt Hon. The Baroness Warsi (2007–2010)
- The Rt Hon. The Baroness Warsi PC (from 2010)
References
- ^ "Sayeeda Warsi: The Tory peer who never plays it safe". London: Independent.co.uk. 28 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-23.
- ^ "Shadow Cabinet: Who's Who". BBC News. 2009-09-09. Retrieved 2010-05-23.
- ^ Dodd, Vikram (27 April 2005). "Adviser to Tory leader attacks gay sex laws". The Guardian. London.
- ^ Profile: Sayeeda Warsi - BBC News - 2 July 2007
- ^ 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
- ^ "Cameron's cabinet: A guide to who's who". BBC. 14 May 2010. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
- ^ "Privy Council appointments, 13 May 2010". Privy Council. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
- ^ "Baroness Warsi: Labour urges expenses probe".
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18234167
- ^ '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.
- ^ Syeeda Warsi slammed by islamic fundamentalists
- ^ Conservative chairwoman: Don't ban burka
- ^ Baroness Warsi urges church community role
- ^ a b BBC: Religion sidelined by 'militant secularisation', says Baroness Warsi, 14 February 2012
- ^ Warsi, Baroness (13 February 2012). "We stand side by side with the Pope in fighting for faith". The Daily Telegraph. London.
- ^ Politics | Blogs | Evening Standard
- ^ "Baroness Warsi sparks UKIP fury over BNP suggestion". BBC. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
- ^ "UKIP attack Tory chairman Baroness Warsi with 'unparliamentary language' for linking party to BNP". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
- ^ Storer, Jackie (2005-07-19). "n Ms Warsi change the Tories?". BBC News. Retrieved 2010-05-23.
- ^ Conservative Party Accessed 2 July 2010
- ^ MacFarlane, Jo; Rimmer, Alan (2009-09-13). "Did this wife know she was being divorced - and husband was to wed top Tory Muslim?". London: Dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-05-23.
External links
- Sayeeda Warsi official website
- Profile at the Cabinet Office
- Profile at the Conservative Party
- Profile at the Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Current session contributions in Parliament at Hansard
- Voting record at PublicWhip.org
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou.com
- Profile at Westminster Parliamentary Record
- Profile at BBC News Democracy Live
- Sayeeda Warsi, Baroness Warsi collected news and commentary at The Guardian
- Profile: Sayeeda Warsi, BBC News, 2 July 2007
- Sayeeda Warsi: Cameron's secret weapon, The Sunday Times, 3 Oct 2009
- Britain's first Asian Cabinet Minister, BBC World Service, 3 June 2010 (26 minute audio interview)
- Debrett's People of Today
- profile in the Daily Telegraph, 16 January 2012
