Building hosts Christopher Leslie and 150 industry leaders, MPs and peers at annual House of Commons event.
Christopher Leslie, the 29-year-old minister who was put in charge of the overhaul of the Building Regulations earlier this month, was among more than 150 guests at Building's annual House of Commons terrace reception.

Monday's reception was held under the auspices of the All Party Parliamentary Study Group on Construction, which Building has sponsored since its inception in 1976.

In a brief address, Leslie praised the magazine for its standing in the industry, and reassured the audience of peers, MPs and industry leaders that he was aware of construction's "crucial" role in the economy. He also said he was keen to engage the industry in dialogue about the continuing changes to the Building Regulations.

In his speech, the All Party Group's secretary Bill Olner, MP for Nuneaton, enthused about the buoyant state of the industry, particularly in London, and said he looked forward to the ripple effects spreading northwards "particularly to the West Midlands".

Among the guests were Bovis Lend Lease president Sir Frank Lampl, Jarvis chief executive Paris Moayedi, Skanska's executive vice-president Keith Clarke, and Building Design Partnership chairman Richard Saxon.

Parliamentarians present included Tory construction spokesman Robert Key, Lord Naseby, and former ministers Sir George Young, David Curry and Christopher Chope.

Other attendees included Railtrack's group property director Helen Gordon, Hammerson's construction director Geoff Wright, Morgan Sindall chairman John Morgan, Mace chairman Bob White, Davis Langdon & Everest's senior partner Paul Morrell, and Cyril Sweett chairman Francis Ives.

Also present were Foster and Partners director Ken Shuttleworth, London Eye designer David Marks, Sir Michael Latham, Kevin Myers, the Health and Safety Executive's chief inspector of construction and Chartered Institute of Building president Bob Heathfield.