ISLAMABAD: Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, Britain’s first Muslim cabinet minister of Pakistani origin, resigned from the Conservative Party’s whip in the House of Lords on Thursday, citing the party’s shift to the far-right in a social media post.
Warsi, who was born in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, to Pakistani immigrant parents, made history in 2010 by becoming the first Muslim to serve in the British cabinet under Prime Minister David Cameron. Throughout her career, she has been vocal about her Pakistani heritage.
In her resignation post on X (formerly Twitter), Warsi expressed concerns about the party’s treatment of Marieha Hussain, a pro-Palestinian activist acquitted of racially aggravated charges. She criticized the Conservative leadership for revisiting the case despite the legal verdict in Hussain’s favor.
“It is with a heavy heart that I have today informed my whip and decided for now to no longer take the @Conservatives whip,” Warsi wrote. She emphasized her disappointment in the party’s shift to the far-right, accusing it of hypocrisy and double standards in its treatment of different communities.
Warsi’s resignation coincides with the Conservative Party’s leadership contest, where candidates are vying to replace former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, following the party’s recent election loss.
This move is also a reflection of the issues she discussed in her book Muslims Don’t Matter, highlighting the growing divide within the party.
