Baroness Sayeeda Warsi was made Foreign Office and Faith and Communities Minister by Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday as he carried out the coalition’s first major reshuffle 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 Warsi survived the reshuffle and she will now serve as a senior foreign office minister, as deputy to British Foreign Secretary William Hague, considered by many as a demotion. Warsi 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, Organization 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. After accepting the new post, Warsi said the last two and half years as party chair gave her the opportunity to reshape the Conservative Party and re-focus its strategy. 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.” Earlier, when the news of Warsi being moved out of the Tory party chairmanship broke, many commentators and equality campaigners offered her support.
Sayeeda Warsi made Foreign Office minister
