The Right Honourable The Baroness Warsi PC |
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Senior Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs | |
In office 4 September 2012 – 5 August 2014 |
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Prime Minister | David Cameron |
Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | The Baroness Anelay of St John's (Minister of State) |
Minister of State for Faith and Communities | |
In office 4 September 2012 – 5 August 2014 |
|
Prime Minister | David Cameron |
Preceded by | Hazel Blears (2009) |
Succeeded by | Eric Pickles (Faith) |
Chairman of the Conservative Party | |
In office 12 May 2010 – 4 September 2012 Served with The Lord Feldman of Elstree |
|
Leader | David Cameron |
Preceded by | Eric Pickles |
Succeeded by | Grant Shapps |
Minister without Portfolio | |
In office 12 May 2010 – 4 September 2012 |
|
Leader | David Cameron |
Preceded by | Hazel Blears 2007) |
Succeeded by |
Ken Clarke Grant Shapps |
Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion and Social Action | |
In office 2 July 2007 – 11 May 2010 |
|
Leader | David Cameron |
Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | Position abolished |
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal |
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Assumed office 15 October 2007 Life Peerage |
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Personal details | |
Born |
Dewsbury, England, United Kingdom |
28 March 1971
Political party | Conservative |
Alma mater |
Kirklees College University of Leeds University of Law |
Religion | Islam |
Sayeeda Hussain Warsi, Baroness Warsi, PC (Urdu: سعیده حسین وارثی, born 28 March 1971) is a British lawyer, politician and member of the House of Lords. From 2010 to 2012, she was co-Chair of the Conservative Party. She served in David Cameron's Cabinet, first as the Minister without portfolio between 2010 and 2012, then as the Senior Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Office and as the Minister of State for Faith and Communities, until her resignation citing her disagreement with the Government's policy on the Israel–Gaza conflict in August 2014.
Warsi grew up in a family of Pakistani immigrants living in West Yorkshire. She studied as a solicitor at University of Leeds and the Crown Prosecution Service. In 2004, she gave up her job as a solicitor to stand, unsuccessfully, for election to Parliament. After being raised to the peerage in 2007, Warsi served as Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion and Social Action. The first female Muslim to attend Cabinet, Lady Warsi came to further prominence when, at her first meeting in Downing Street, she wore a traditional South Asian shalwar kameez.