Former cabinet minister Baroness Sayeeda Warsi has resigned from the Conservative Party, criticising it for moving to the far right.

Following her resignation, the Tories revealed they had placed Warsi under investigation for her social media posts about the controversial “coconut” trial earlier this month.

In a post on X, Warsi said: “It is with a heavy heart that I have today informed my whip and decided for now to no longer take the Conservative whip. This is a sad day for me. I am a Conservative and remain so but sadly the current party are far removed from the party I joined and served in Cabinet.

“My decision is a reflection of how far right my party has moved and the hypocrisy and double standards in its treatment of different communities. A timely reminder of the issues that I raise in my book Muslims Don’t Matter.”

The Tories later said they launched an investigation into the peer for her tweets around the court case of Marieha Hussain, who held a sign suggesting Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman were “coconuts.”

Hussain was acquitted of a racially aggravated public order offence and Warsi shared a photo on X (formerly Twitter) of herself drinking from a coconut and congratulating Hussain.

Warsi, a persistent critic of the party

A Conservative party spokesperson said: “Complaints were received regarding divisive language allegedly used by Baroness Sayeeda Warsi. Baroness Warsi was informed an investigation was about to begin earlier this week.

“We have a responsibility to ensure that all complaints are investigated without prejudice.”

Warsi responded by saying: “A court of law found Marieha Hussain not guilty. Whatever Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman think of that decision, that is the rule of law and they are not above the law.

“I was subsequently asked to delete my public support for Marieha – I refused to do so … The case was due to be conducted in private behind closed doors, I was not told who the complainant was and this is material considering the detail of bad faith practice the court heard about during the trial.

“I was also told I could not discuss the matter with others. It was effectively to be a secret retrial of the #coconuttrial … I was not prepared to accept this.

“I felt it appropriate in the circumstances to resign my whip and look forward to dealing with these issues openly and transparently in the coming weeks and months.”

Warsi, who previously served as the Conservative Party chair, has criticised the party for years over its Islamophbia, particularly since Boris Johnson became Prime Minister.

Recently, Tory leader hopeful Robert Jenrick faced criticism from Warsi after his incendiary comments seemed to suggest that police should arrest protesters who shout “Allahu Akbar.”