The former co-chair criticized the party’s “hypocrisy and double standards in its treatment of different communities”.
Britain’s first Muslim cabinet minister has left the opposition Conservative Party, saying it has moved too far to the right.
Baroness Saida Warsi, a member of the House of Lords, announced her decision on Thursday, saying it “reflects how far to the right our party is and the hypocrisy and double standards in its treatment of different communities.” “
“I am a Conservative and will remain a Conservative, but sadly the party we have now is a far cry from the one I joined,” said the country’s first Muslim cabinet minister under former Prime Minister David Cameron. said Warsi, who made history by previously serving as co-chair. of the Conservative Party.
It is with a heavy heart that I report today that I have decided to no longer accept the Conservative Party’s whip for now.
Today is a sad day for me.
I was, and still am, a Conservative, but sadly the party we have today is a far cry from the party I joined and served as a cabinet minister.
my…— Sayeeda Warsi (@SayeedaWarsi) September 26, 2024
Mr Warsi’s decision comes after a pro-Palestinian protester was charged with racial abuse for holding up a placard depicting then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and former Home Secretary Suela Braverman alongside a coconut under a tree. It comes amid controversy over her response to the recent acquittal of Marieha Hussein. At the beach.
Prosecutors characterized the placard as a racial slur, interpreting it to mean, “You may be brown on the outside, but you’re white on the inside.”
After Hussain’s acquittal, Warsi posted a photo of himself drinking a coconut on X and wished him “many congratulations.”
Shortly after Mr Warsi issued his statement, a Conservative Party spokesperson said: “We received a complaint regarding divisive language allegedly used by Baroness Saida Warsi… (she) was informed earlier this week that an investigation would begin.
“We have a responsibility to ensure that all complaints are investigated without prejudice.”
Warsi later defended his decision to support Hussein. “The court has found #MariehaHussain not guilty. No matter what Rishi Sunak and Suela Braverman think about that decision, it’s the rule of law and they are not above the law. ” she posted on X.
“I don’t gag as a general rule,” she said.
Pakistan-born Warsi was appointed to the peerage by Prime Minister Cameron in 2007 and served in his first government, but resigned as Foreign and Commonwealth Office minister in 2014 over the government’s policy towards Gaza.
At the time, she called Britain’s position “morally indefensible” and called for an arms embargo on Israel.
Throughout his career, Warsi has taken multiple stances against racism and Islamophobia within his party.
In 2022, she came to the defense of Conservative MP Nusrat Ghani. The MP claimed she was sacked as a minister because her colleagues were “uncomfortable” about her religion and because she did not defend the party against allegations of Islamophobia.
At the time, Mr Warsi told Sky News that the party considered the issue of Islamophobia to be “much less serious than other forms of bigotry”.
Last year, Warsi called Braverman a “dangerous person” over his comments about pro-Palestinian protests.
The unrest erupts ahead of the Conservative Party conference, which begins on Sunday, when leadership candidates will make their case for the leadership position.