Warsi made deputy foreign minister

Pakistani-origin Sayeeda Warsi was made Foreign Office and Faith & Communities Minister by Prime Minister David Cameron as he carried out the coalition’s first major re-shuffle which saw many promotions and demotions.
Warsi resigned from the post of Conservative co-chairmanship but was given various options to choose from. Many political pundits had predicted that she will be axed but she survived the reshuffle and she will now serve as a senior foreign office minister, as deputy to British Foreign Secretary William Hague.
She will continue to have a seat at the cabinet table but more importantly she also now has a seat at the National Security Council meetings.
Her brief in the new job involves a long list of areas but the most important ones are Af-Pak policy, withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan, Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC), and central Asia, Commonwealth, United Nations, human rights and consular policies.
In her role as the Faith and Communities minister, a role specifically created for her in the Communities and Local Government (CLG) where she will have two special advisors to assist her, she will work towards the enhancement of faith in the social and public life.
Speaking to the media, Warsi said the last two and half years as party chair gave her the opportunity to re-shape the Conservative Party and re-focus its strategy including a bigger focus on the northern towns, women and ethnic minorities.
“Winning the Alternative Voting referendum and delivering better than expected local election results have been highlights of my term and I am particularly proud of the launch of groups like Conservative Friends of Pakistan.
I am confident that the strategy that I have set will be supported and followed by the new party chair,” she said.
Warsi told that she was clear about the kind of job she wanted to do in the new line-up. “The job I have been given fits my expertise, strengths and interests. I am delighted to serve as a minister with William Hague in the Foreign Office at a crucial time when the world is changing. At the same time I will continue to make the case for different faiths.”