A?PROMINENT member of the Government made a 'whistle stop tour' tour of Devon last Thursday — and West?Devon was on her itinerary.

Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, the co-chairman of the Conservative Party and Minister without Portfolio in the Coalition Government, stopped off at Tavistock to meet party members preparing for this May's West Devon Borough and town council elections.

The politician, the first Muslim woman to serve in the Cabinet, was the focus of national media attention recently over her view that prejudice towards Muslims had 'passed the dinner table test' of conversation and become socially acceptable.

After coming down by train to Newton Abbot, Baroness Warsi met Tory supporters at Ilsington and Chudeigh before driving across Dartmoor to Tavistock.

In the town she met local Conservatives, among them councillors Sue Bailey, Diana Moyes, Mandy Govier, and David Whitcomb, leader of West Devon Borough Council James McInnes and the respective chairman and president of West Devon and Torridge Conservative Association, Robert Oxborough and James Rowland.

Next it was off to meet people in the pannier market and some of the town shops.

Town and borough councillor Mandy Govier welcomed the Baroness's visit, and said: 'It is good for local and potential councillors to be enthused by someone like Baroness Warsi, straight down from Westminster, who helps explain political decisions being made there, rather than hearing them drip-fed through the media.

'Her presence gives a strong message that Tavistock and West Devon is very much an important place on the political map.'

Baroness Warsi told the Times: 'I'm hoping in these two days to visit different constituencies, especially ones where Conservative councillors are standing for the first time. There are important local elections coming up and I have had a range of questions raised by councillors on economic and political issues.

'We have had to make a lot of hard economic choices because these are difficult times. But I have met local Conservative leaders today, many of whom run businesses themselves, who will respond to the challenge and in the forthcoming May local elections help set the seeds to economic growth.'

At the pannier market the Baroness met market reeve Eddie Carruthers and talked to traders Yvette Smith and Chris Poll, of Fragrant Light, before visiting Georgina's Pets in West Street where she met owner Georgina Elias.

The Cabinet Minister asked what issues she would like to raise and Georgina replied that she, like many traders, would like to see the Government tackle the sharp rise in fuel costs.

Georgina said the cost of fuel had an adverse effect on drawing tourists to the town, especially coaches from resorts like Torquay. It also had an effect on haulage costs, which in turn were passed on to the customer and trader.

Baroness Warsi told her the issue was high on the Prime Minister's agenda and her party aimed to support economic growth in towns like Tavistock.

After a brief discussion about the merits of 'chocolate' dog biscuits the Baroness was off to Plymouth for the next call on her 'whistle stop' tour.