Former Conservative Party co-chair, Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, has resigned citing concerns about the party’s slide into far-right extremism and its treatment of different communities. Warsi, a British lawyer with roots in Pakistan, criticized the Conservative Party’s rhetoric on asylum seekers and its departure from the values she initially joined the party for. Her decision reflects the party’s shift towards the right and its double standards.
Warsi’s resignation came after Tory leadership candidate Robert Jenrick made controversial comments about controlling refugee numbers based on lifestyle and values. She also criticized the party for abandoning “One Nation” Conservatism and spoke out against Israel’s actions in Gaza. Warsi is set to release a new book titled Muslims Don’t Matter, highlighting the mainstreaming of Islamophobia.
The UK recently faced far-right riots fueled by misinformation, targeting mosques and resulting in over 400 arrests. The riots posed a challenge to Keir Starmer’s new Labour government, which was revealed to be supporting a new Muslim leadership group for engagement with Muslim communities.