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British politician (born 1985) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 and Solihull East, formerly Meriden, since the 2019 general election.[3] He previously served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Tech and the Digital Economy from 2023 to 2024 and as the Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party for Business from 2022 to 2023.[4]
Saqib Bhatti | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Shadow Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology | |
| Assumed office 19 July 2024 | |
| Leader | Rishi Sunak |
| Shadow Minister for Health and Social Care | |
| Assumed office 19 July 2024 | |
| Leader | Rishi Sunak |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Tech and the Digital Economy | |
| In office 13 November 2023 – 5 July 2024 | |
| Prime Minister | Rishi Sunak |
| Preceded by | Paul Scully |
| Succeeded by | The Baroness Jones of Whitchurch |
| Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party for Business | |
| In office 30 September 2022 – 13 November 2023 | |
| Leader | Liz Truss Rishi Sunak |
| Member of Parliament for Meriden and Solihull East Meriden (2019–2024) | |
| Assumed office 12 December 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Caroline Spelman |
| Majority | 4,584 (10.4%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 18 June 1985 Walsall, West Midlands, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Residence | Dorridge |
| Alma mater | London School of Economics and Political Science |
| Website | www |
Prior to serving in parliament, Bhatti founded the pro-Brexit group Muslims for Britain, which advocated for leaving the European Union (EU) in the 2016 referendum.[5][6]
He has been Shadow Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology and Shadow Minister for Health and Social Care since July 2024.[7]
Bhatti was born and raised in Walsall, West Midlands, England in a Pakistani immigrant family from Punjab.[8] His father, Younis Bhatti, is from Gujar Khan, while his mother is from Murree. Younis is UK secretary general of the Al-Shifa Eye Trust, a Pakistan-based eyecare hospital that provides treatment to individuals who cannot afford it.
Bhatti was privately educated at King Edwards VI School in Edgbaston,[9][10] before studying law at the London School of Economics (LSE), from where he graduated with an LLB (Hons) degree.[8] Whilst at university, he served as president of the LSE Pakistan Society.[11]
Bhatti is an accountant by profession.[12] In 2018, he became the President of the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, becoming the youngest person and first Muslim to hold the post.[13]
Bhatti founded the group Muslims for Britain which campaigned for the UK to leave the EU during the Brexit referendum.[14] He argued that EU policy prevented immigration from South Asia and that leaving the EU would make it easier.[5][6] As of 2018[update] he was a senior policy adviser with the Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe.[13]
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.[15][16]
Saqib was appointed Private Parliamentary Secretary Liz Truss, the then Secretary of State to the Department for International Trade in 2020.[17] He then moved to the Department for Health and Social Care where he served as Private Parliamentary Secretary to the Secretary of State, the Rt Hon. Sajid Javid MP, whom he followed in resigning on 5 July 2022 in the aftermath of the Chris Pincher scandal.[18][19]
On 30 September 2022, Bhatti became the Conservative Party's Vice Chair for Business.[20]
In the July–September 2022 Conservative leadership election, Bhatti endorsed Liz Truss, stating that Truss "understands that for businesses to thrive, the government needs to get out of the way."[21]
Bhatti 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.[22]
Bhatti also holds an honorary doctorate from Aston University in Business Administration.[23]
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