Sayeeda Warsi

Baroness Warsi is a lawyer, politician and member of the House of Lords. She was co-Chair of the Conservative Party from 2010-12 and the first female Muslim to attend cabinet.

Baroness Warsi served in Prime Minister David Cameron's Cabinet, first as the Minister without portfolio from 2010-12, then as the Senior Minister of State in the Foreign Office. She resigned from the government due to her disagreement with the Government's policy on the Israel–Gaza conflict in 2014.

Baroness Warsi studied law at Leeds University, before going on to work for the Crown Prosecution Service before setting up her own legal practice. She then joined the Conservative Party, and it was there that she became Vice Chairman and adviser to the leader, Michael Howard, in 2004. She stood as a Parliamentary candidate in her home town the following year. In 2007 she was elevated to the House of Lords aged 36, making her the youngest peer in Parliament.

Her business background and her passion for manufacturing have made her a champion for British business both at home and abroad. Baroness Warsi has been a major driver of three start-up businesses; one in the service sector and two in manufacturing.

Baroness Warsi chaired the Global Islamic Finance and Investment Group for the UK Government and was responsible for the introduction of the first Sukuk bond outside the Islamic world. The Group was made up of members from key Islamic finance centres, including Chief Executives and Central Bank Governors.

Baroness Warsi also spearheaded the Conservative party’s Social Action agenda both domestically and internationally, setting up Project Maja, which has brought politicians and volunteers together in the poorest parts of Bosnia Herzegovina and Bangladesh.

Baroness Warsi is also Chair of a Foundation, focusing on three programme areas: social mobility, gender equality and freedom of religious belief.