Former Conservative deputy chair Gullis switches to Reform

Jonathan Gullis, previously a deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, has announced his departure from the party to join Reform UK. The former Member of Parliament for Stoke-on-Trent North and ex-education minister had been affiliated with the Conservatives for 18 years. He stated that he felt the party had "lost touch with the people it was meant to serve."

This move follows the defection of councillor Daniel Jellyman, the Conservative leader on Stoke-on-Trent City Council, who joined Reform UK just one month earlier and assumed leadership of the party at the local level.

Gullis criticized the Conservatives for mishandling migration and pursuing policies under the Net Zero agenda, which he claimed have increased household energy costs and threatened jobs in Stoke-on-Trent's renowned ceramics industry. He commented that these failures have eroded public trust in the party.

During his parliamentary career, Gullis served as Minister for School Standards in the Department for Education and was appointed deputy chairman of the Conservative Party last year.

Reform UK recently secured its first seat on Stoke-on-Trent City Council when Councillor Luke Shenton won a by-election in May. Shenton welcomed Gullis's move, calling it a significant boost for the party locally. He emphasized the need to provide an alternative to the current Labour government and pledged to support the city's hardworking residents.

Reform UK aims to challenge the established political landscape in Stoke-on-Trent and offer voters a new choice at both local and national levels.

Author: Sophia Brooks