Sayeeda Warsi talks to Rachel Shabi

As the first Muslim to serve in a British cabinet, there are few people better placed than Conservative peer Sayeeda Warsi to reflect on the position of Muslims in the UK, and the rising tide of Islamophobia they face. Discussing her book Muslims Don’t Matter, Baroness Warsi looks at the far-right riots that broke out in the UK in 2024, how more hatred has been directed at Muslims in public life during the war on Gaza, and how a network of media and commentators feed Islamophobia. She urges us to change course and unite to dismantle this toxic bigotry.

Warsi is a lawyer, businesswoman and racial justice campaigner. She was instrumental in the launch of Operation Black Vote, a national not-for-profit working towards greater racial justice throughout the UK. Rachel Shabi has reported extensively on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She is author of Off-White: The Truth About Antisemitism.