Sayeeda Warsi was born in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire. One of five daughters of Pakistani immigrants, she studied law at Leeds University. The first Muslim woman to be selected as a Conservative candidate, in 2005 she failed to win the Dewsbury seat at the general election, but was created a life peer, Baroness Warsi, enabling her to become a shadow minister. In 2014 she resigned from government over its policy on the Israel-Gaza conflict. She has a daughter from a previous relationship and four stepchildren through her marriage to the businessman Iftikhar Azam. She and Azam live in Wakefield.
My plan was to semi-retire in 2024 and spend more time with my husband, who runs a food-manufacturing company. I’m busier than ever, staying too many days
