Fuel duty champion Jonathan Gullis makes political comeback as Deputy Tory Chairman after mini-reshuffle

FUEL duty champion Jonathan Gullis has made a political comeback as Deputy Tory Chairman after the PM was forced into a mini-reshuffle.

The Stoke-on-Trent MP led the charge on our Keep It Down crusade.

He was sacked in 2022 but is back to try to bolster Rishi Sunak’s waning appeal in the Red Wall.

No10 faced two resignations.

Education minister Robert Halfon is standing down at the General Election and defence minister James Heappey quit with a plea to hike spending.

Nus Ghani is the new Minister for Europe, as Leo Docherty took over the defence brief.

Luke Hall replaced Mr Halfon.

And Post Office minister Kevin Hollinrake was promoted to minister of state in Business.

Last month, forty MPs - including Mr Gullis - were demanding a freeze to fuel duty and keeping a 5p temporary reduction in the levy.

Howard Cox, FairFuel UK founder, said at the time: “The Prime Minister is now under no illusion that the Chancellor must deliver a Budget for motorists.

“The commercial heartbeat of the economy needs this much troubled Government to deliver some fiscal cheer instead of drivers being continually used as cash cows.”

The news came after around 40 MPs and peers had written to Jeremy Hunt urging him to freeze rates and keep the 5p cut in the Spring Budget.