British Pakistani Saqib Bhatti MP rising star of the Conservatives

LONDON: Newly elected British Pakistani Conservative MP Saqib Bhatti has commended the Conservative Party for its resounding majority win in the general election, stressing that his win is proof that merit and talent is of primary importance in the ruling party.

The British Pakistani MP was elected on 12 December to parliament from the safe Tory seat of Meriden where he won by more than 34,000 votes. He increased his predecessor’s majority and with over 22,000-vote lead, has one of the largest majorities in the country.

A law graduate of the London School of Economics (LSE), Bhatti served as the popular president of the LSE Pakistan Society. In his role, he hosted the current Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, and the former prime minister, the late Benazir Bhutto at the LSE.

Mr Bhatti told Geo and The News that he ran a positive campaign across the whole constituency. He was “pleased to stand by a strong and popular Conservative manifesto, which focused on delivering opportunity for all”.

He said: “At the General Election, millions of people – many of whom have never voted Conservative before - put their faith and trust in the people’s government to deliver on their priorities.

Bhatti was elected in Meriden which is situated at the centre of England near Birmingham.

Bhatti, the former president of the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and a strong advocate and campaigner of Brexit, becomes the first Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) MP to represent a parliamentary seat in the Solihull Borough. Mr Bhatti replaced Dame Caroline Spelman, the former Cabinet Minister and Chairman of the Conservative Party following her retirement after serving as an MP for over 20 years.

Bhatti said his election was  proof that his party gave fundamental importance to merit and talent and not to other considerations.

He explained: “To be honest, I am here today because my party recognises and rewards hard work, and at its core lies merit. I believe, now is the time, for more British Pakistanis to get involved in party politics. I would strongly encourage them to join the Conservative Party, and help us build a strong diverse and representative political movement. But whoever they join, politics is too important to leave to someone else. There is such talent within the British Pakistani community and I hope in the coming years more and more step forward to represent their country."

Mr Bhatti said the Conservative government has no time to waste. “Our first task is to get Brexit done and we will leave the EU at the end of January. The prime minister negotiated a great new deal. I am pleased that on Friday I voted to avoid the trap of further dither and delay and ruled out any extension to the implementation period beyond 2020.”

Bhatti said Brexit would provide opportunity to Britain to determine its own future and free relations with the rest of the world. “It will give us opportunities to determine our priorities. We will be able to do our own free trade agreements with countries like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The British people will be in control and that is the most important thing.”

Bhatti, 34, was born and raised in Birmingham. His father hails from Pari Ferozal, a rural village in Gujjar Khan, and mother from Crore Tehsil, Murree. His father, Younis Bhatti worked hard and went on to become a chartered accountant and regularly carries out charity work in Pakistan.

Younis Bhatti is UK Secretary General of Al-Shifa Eye Trust, a Pakistan-based eye hospital which provides free eye care and treatment to those who can’t afford it.

Mr Younis Bhatti told Geo and The News: “I came to this country to build a better future for my family. I always taught my children to be proud of all the opportunities that Britain offers and to work hard for them. My dream was that Saqib would give back to Britain, and work to build a better society, so I am very proud he was elected as a British parliamentarian. I know he will work hard for the people he represents.”

Like most parents, they put their entire focus on ensuring good education for their three children.

Saqib Bhatti credits his parents’ perseverance for his successes. “My dad built his life as a chartered accountant. The primary objective of my parents was for us to get a good education through to university. By the way this is not a new story as there are so many stories of immigrants putting focus on education of their children. So many have gone to media, business, showbiz, politics and other fields. We are now seeing this breaking through into politics at many levels.”