Former Conservative party chair Baroness Warsi has resigned from the party in the House of Lords, claiming it has moved to the “far right”.
Britain’s first Muslim cabinet minister under Prime Minister David Cameron, accused the party of “hypocrisy and double standards in its treatment of different communities”.
But the Conservatives say she was about to be investigated for allegedly using “divisive language”.
A party spokesperson said: “Baroness Warsi was informed earlier this week that an investigation would begin.”
“We have a responsibility to ensure that all complaints are investigated without prejudice.”
The BBC said the complaint was said to be in relation to a post about Malieha Hussein.
Hussein was found not guilty of racially aggravated public order offenses after holding up placards depicting Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak and former home secretary Suela Braverman as coconuts at a pro-Palestinian protest. .
In one post about X, Baroness Warsi congratulated Hussein on his acquittal.
Her resignation came on the eve of the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham.
Baroness Warsi has previously criticized Conservative leadership candidates Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch.
She has also been a vocal critic of the party’s approach to allegations of Islamophobia and the language used by Conservative politicians, including Mr Braverman.
She writes about X: “It is with a heavy heart that I announce today that I have decided to no longer accept the Conservative Party’s whip for now.
“Today is a sad day for me. I am a Conservative and will always be a Conservative, but sadly the party we have today is a far cry from the party I joined and served as a cabinet minister.”
He added: “My decision reflects how far to the right my party leans and the hypocrisy and double standards in its treatment of different communities.”
Baroness Warsi has indicated that she intends to raise some of these issues in her new book, ‘Muslims Don’t Matter’.
In a further tweet, she said: “In principle, you cannot be gagged” and accused Mr Sunak’s Conservative Party of wanting to “reopen” Mr Hussein’s trial.
“It’s unfair to do this while still receiving the Tory whip,” she posted.
After the 2010 general election, Baroness Warsi made history by becoming the first Muslim female cabinet minister as co-chair of the Conservative Party.
She is a former Crown Prosecution Service solicitor and then a minister in David Cameron’s government.
However, she resigned as Minister of Faith and Communities in 2014 due to the government’s policies regarding the Israel-Gaza conflict.
She has since criticized the party’s inquiry into Islamophobia, calling it “institutionally xenophobic and racist”.
Resigning as a member of the Conservative Party means she will no longer be affiliated with the party in the House of Lords, where she has served as a member of the House of Lords since 2007.
The party is still selecting its next leader, and the four finalists are expected to speak at a conference in Birmingham.
The meeting will be followed by intensive pursuit and multiple rounds of voting starting October 8, lasting three days until only two candidates remain.
Conservative members will then choose which of the two finalists they want to be their new leader, with the results announced on November 2nd.
