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Baroness Sayeeda warsi, Britain\\\'s first Muslim minister

BRITAIN’S first woman Muslim minister, Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, has lost her job as Prime Minister David Cameron began to reshuffle his ailing government on Tuesday (September 4).

Baroness Warsi, a minister without portfolio in the cabinet, has been removed from her post as co-chairman of the Conservative Party.

“It’s been a privilege and an honour to serve my party as co-chairman , signing off @ToryChairman, signing on @sayeedawarsi,” she said in an early morning message on Twitter.

In his first move since MPs returned following the summer break, Cameron on Monday (September 3) began the reshuffle by moving Andrew Mitchell from international development secretary to chief whip, the government’s enforcer during parliamentary votes.

Explaining his decision to move Mitchell, Cameron said: “Andrew has done a superb job as Britain’s development secretary. He has made British development policy transparent, focused and highly effective.

“As chief whip, Andrew will ensure strong support for our radical legislative programme, by working hard to win the argument in the Commons as well as playing a big role in the No 10 team.

“He will be invaluable as the government embarks on the next, vital phase of its mission to restore our economy to growth and reform our public services.”

Chancellor George Osborne, foreign secretary William Hague and home secretary Theresa May are also expected to survive despite the coalition government’s dwindling popularity, reports suggested.

It will be the first proper reshuffle of Cameron’s coalition government since the May 2010 general election that brought him to office.

Cameron cancelled Tuesday’s scheduled cabinet meeting in order to deal with the reshuffle.

Writing in The Mail on Sunday newspaper, Cameron vowed to “cut through the dither” and breathe new life into the nation’s recession-mired economy with a series of new initiatives in this parliamentary term.

He also pledged that he would continue reining in Britain’s deficit amid the ongoing eurozone sovereign debt crisis.

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