Saqib Bhatti

Mohammad Saqib Bhatti[2] MBE MP (born 1985) 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
Born1985[1]
Walsall, West Midlands, England
NationalityBritish
Political partyConservative
Alma materLondon School of Economics and Political Science
Websitewww.saqibbhatti.org.uk

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.[4]

Bhatti is of British Pakistani ancestry.[5]

Early life

Bhatti was born in Walsall, West Midlands where he grew up and attended school. His father is a chartered accountant and runs his own firm of chartered accountants. Both of his parents are of Pakistani origin.[6]

He attended King Edwards VI School for boys before reading Law at the London School of Economics and Political Science where he graduated with LLB (Hons).[6] Bhatti also holds an honorary doctorate from Aston University in Business Administration and was awarded MBE in 2020 for Services to Diversity and Inclusion in Business Communities.[7]

Early career

Bhatti joined international accountancy firm Deloitte in 2007 and trained as a chartered accountant and financial auditor.[6] In 2010 he joined the family firm of Chartered accountants, Younis Bhatti & Co which caters for small and medium sized businesses where he was appointed a director in 2012.[6]

In 2013 Bhatti joined the board of the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce (then IAB) and was President from 2014 until 2018. He then served as its Honorary Chairman from 2018 to 2020.[6]

In 2018 he became the President of the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce. He was the youngest ever president of the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce since its inception in 1813.[8] The Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce’s geography extended across the West Midlands and with 3000 members is one of the largest and fastest-growing Chambers of Commerce in the country. During his tenure he championed the role that business played in society and the fact it is a force for good. He often spoke about the role business will play in beating the challenges faced by society including climate change, knife crime and helping greater integration in society.[9]

He remained as president until his election on December 13th 2019.[6]

He was also Director of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership responsible for business support.[8] In October 2015 he launched the Growth Hub, the premier access point for business support, on behalf of the GBS LEP.[10] The Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP area has enjoyed the largest amount of start-ups outside of London since 2014.[11]

In 2016 he was recognised by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales as a Rising Star.[6]

Political career

Saqib was on the National Board for Vote Leave during the European Union Referendum in 2016 during which time he also launched ‘Muslims for Britain’ which campaigned to give ethnic minorities a voice in the debate and he is credited with delivering the Leave vote in Birmingham.[12]

He was also Deputy Chair for the Andy Street 2020 Mayoral Campaign.[6]

Personal life

Charity work is a fundamental part of Saqib’s life: in July 2019 he raised £27,000 for Prostate Cancer UK and has supported charities around the world in providing education and training for women.[13] He also sits on the board for West Midlands Reserve Forces and Cadets Association.[14] He also been involved with a number of international charitable projects from a young age. Saqib has also formerly served as a trustee of The Lord Mayor’s Charity in Birmingham and on the board of the Lunar Society.[6]

Saqib often says, “The biggest influence on me is my father who moved to the UK in the 60s in pursuit of the ‘Great British Dream’, he taught me the values of hard work, integrity and determination which have driven my life so far.” [6]

Saqib lives in Dorridge with his wife.[6]

References
  1. "Saqib Bhatti - Meriden Constituency". Solihull Borough.
  2. "Members Sworn". Hansard.parliament.uk. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  3. James Rodger (12 December 2019). "Meriden general election results 2019 - Birmingham Live". birminghammail.co.uk. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  4. "No. 62866". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 December 2019. p. N16.
  5. Rehman, Atika (14 December 2019). "15 candidates of Pakistani descent elected to UK parliament". DAWN.COM.
  6. "About". Saqib Bhatti. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  7. "Honorary doctorate for top BID leader". Westside BID. 2 October 2019. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  8. https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/business/chamber-installs-youngest-ever-president-15203523
  9. "Business must not ignore its impact during knife crime epidemic | GBCC". Greaterbirminghamchambers.com. 8 March 2019. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  10. "Growth Hub launched as one-stop-shop for Greater Birmingham businesses". TheBusinessDesk.com. 8 October 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  11. http://eservices.solihull.gov.uk/mginternet/documents/s25905/GBSLEP%20Annual%20Report.pdf
  12. Jim Pickard (19 May 2016). "Vote Leave woos British Asians with migration leaflets". Financial Times. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  13. "Chamber President to take a jump for charity". The Asian Today Online. 6 June 2019. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  14. J Taylor (11 October 2018). "New face for Association's Board". West Midland Reserve Forces' and Cadets' Association. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Caroline Spelman		 Member of Parliament
for Meriden
2019–present		 Incumbent
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