The former Tory deputy chairman has become the latest defection to the insurgent party

10:21, Mon, Dec 1, 2025 Updated: 10:21, Mon, Dec 1, 2025

Nigel Farage

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage (Image: Getty)

Former Tory deputy chairman Jonathan Gullis has defected to Reform UK. The ex-MP for Stoke-on-Trent warned he has watched the Conservatives "lose touch with the people it was meant to serve".

In a post on his Facebook page, Mr Gullis said: “Today, I am pleased to be joining Reform UK. Leaving the Conservative Party after 18 years is not a decision I have taken lightly. Over time, I have watched a party I once believed in lose touch with the people it was meant to serve.

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"From failing to control both legal and illegal migration to pursuing a Net Zero agenda that has seen a rise in our household energy bills and put jobs in Stoke-on-Trent’s world famous ceramics sector at risk, the Conservative Party has understandably lost the trust of the British people.

"As a country, we face serious and deep rooted challenges, and what is required now are bold, radical ideas alongside the determination to deliver them.

"I believe only Reform UK has the vision and courage needed to restore pride in Britain and deliver real change, putting our country and our communities first.

Jonathan Gullis

Jonathan Gullis has switched to Reform UK (Image: Getty)

"Nigel Farage has shown, consistently over many decades, the courage of his convictions, and it is that strength of leadership which will drive forward the bold and radical reforms our country so urgently needs.

"I look forward to meeting Reform UK members locally and across the country, getting out on the doorstep, and working together to earn voters' trust.

"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, one we must not waste, to bring about the change our country truly needs under a Reform UK government."