Saqib Bhatti

Mohammad Saqib Bhatti[1] MBE, (born 18 June 1985)[2] is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Meriden since the 2019 general election.[3]

Saqib Bhatti
MBE MP
Member of Parliament
for Meriden
Assumed office
12 December 2019
Preceded byCaroline Spelman
Majority22,836 (42.2%)
Personal details
Born (1985-06-18) 18 June 1985
Walsall, England
Political partyConservative
Alma materLondon School of Economics and Political Science
Websitewww.saqibbhatti.org.uk

Early life and career

Bhatti is of Pakistani ancestry.[4] He is an accountant by profession.[5] In 2018 he became the President of the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, becoming the youngest person and first Muslim to hold the post.[6]

Political career

Bhatti founded the group Muslims for Britain which campaigned for the UK to leave the EU during the Brexit referendum.[7] He argued that EU policy prevented immigration from South Asia and that leaving the EU would make it easier.[8][9] As of 2018 he was a senior policy adviser with the Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe.[6]

After Caroline Spelman announced she was standing down as an MP, Bhatti was selected to represent the Conservative seat of Meriden at the 2019 general election, beating the political adviser Nick Timothy in the ballot of party members.[10][11] Saqib was appointed Private Parliamentary Secretary Liz Truss, the then Secretary of State to the Department for International Trade in 2020.[12] He has since moved to the Department for Health and Social Care where he serves as Private Parliamentary Secretary to the Secretary of State, the Rt Hon. Sajid Javid MP.[13]

Honours

He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2020 New Year Honours "for services to diversity and inclusion in the business community", while he was President of the Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce.[14]

Saqib also holds an honorary doctorate from Aston University in Business Administration.[15]

References
  1. "Members Sworn". Hansard.parliament.uk. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  2. Brunskill, Ian (19 March 2020). The Times guide to the House of Commons 2019 : the definitive record of Britain's historic 2019 General Election. p. 270. ISBN 978-0-00-839258-1. OCLC 1129682574.
  3. James Rodger (12 December 2019). "Meriden general election results 2019 - Birmingham Live". birminghammail.co.uk. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  4. Rehman, Atika (14 December 2019). "15 candidates of Pakistani descent elected to UK parliament". DAWN.COM.
  5. "Ex Downing Street chief rejected as Tory candidate". BBC News. 6 November 2019.
  6. Jones, Tamlyn (27 September 2018). "Chamber installs youngest ever president". BirminghamLive.
  7. Varley, Ciaran (27 July 2016). "The Muslims who voted for Brexit: what do they think now?". BBC Three. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  8. Pickard, Jim (19 May 2016). "Vote Leave woos British Asians with migration leaflets". Financial Times. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  9. Parveen, Nazia (1 June 2016). "Why do some ethnic minority voters want to leave the EU?". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  10. Carlon, John (5 November 2019). "Former Downing Street chief Nick Timothy beaten by Saqib Bhatti in Tory's Meriden selection". Solihull Observer. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  11. Carter, Gus (18 December 2019). "Ones to watch: The most promising new MPs of 2019". Spectator. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  12. "Latest civil service & public affairs moves — October 5". 5 October 2020.
  13. "Meet the political stars of tomorrow in the Midlands". 23 September 2021.
  14. "No. 62866". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 December 2019. p. N16.
  15. "About Saqib Bhatti".


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