The Tories have appointed Jonathan Gullis as deputy chairman and people can't believe it | indy100

Related video: Jonathan Gullis admits he's not seen ITV drama as he's forced to watch Paw Patrol

Reuters

The Tories have had quite the week, and it’s only Wednesday. The resignation of Blackpool South MP Scott Benton caused another by-election headache for Rishi Sunak, then two ministers resigned from government, and now the Conservatives have decided the best person to replace Lee Anderson as deputy chairman is Jonathan Gullis.

To recap, Anderson quit his role as deputy chairman back in January to vote for amendments to the Rwanda Bill. He later had the Conservative Party whip suspended and defected to Reform UK after he refused to apologise for claiming Islamists had “control” of London mayor Sadiq Khan.

As for Gullis, his past controversies include the suggestion that the government uses portacabins and tents to house asylum seekers, remarking that missing migrant children “shouldn’t have come here illegally”, and referring to some of his own constituents as “scumbags” and “scrotes”.

Charming.

Sharing the news on Tuesday, Tory chairman Richard Holden wrote on Twitter/X: “Great to announce that the inimitable [Jonathan Gullis] is becoming one of our @Conservatives Deputy Chairmen!

“The non-stop campaigning MP for #StokeOnTrentNorth, #Kidsgrove and #Talke is a formidable addition to the team as we build to the General Election later this year.”

Unsurprisingly, many Twitter users disagree:

@GullisJonathan @RishiSunak @Conservatives @RicHolden Imagine being picked *after* Lee Anderson.
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@GullisJonathan @RishiSunak @Conservatives @RicHolden Fixed it.
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@GullisJonathan @RishiSunak @Conservatives @RicHolden Im glad standards have fallen so low that you are considered a benefit. Bravo.
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There's no lesson so painful that Rishi Sunak will learn it.
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"does a chair man have to bring his own chair?"
— (@)

Like auditioning to be one of the violinists on the Titanic
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Can\u2019t we go straight to the @GBNEWS prime time show without the really\nEmbarrassing stuff in between. ?
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Alexa: what does total desperation look like?
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From cat\u2019s piss to cat\u2019s piss.
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@RicHolden @GullisJonathan @Conservatives I didn't realise the barrel had a false floor.
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WON'T SOMEONE THINK OF THE SATIRISTS
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Even the Community Notes are mocking the appointment, as a proposed post under Twitter’s user-run factchecking feature – seen by indy100 – reads: “’So good or unusual as to be impossible to copy; unique’ is the definition of initiable. Gullis does not meet this definition.”

Ouch.

Commenting on his appointment, Gullis said: “Honoured to be asked by the Prime Minister @RishiSunak to become Deputy Chairman of the @Conservatives.

“I’m ready to take the fight to Sir Keir’s hopeless and hapless Labour Party.

“By sticking to the plan, we’ll grow the economy, stop the boats and level up across the country.”

He's even clapped back at some of the criticism, taking aim at former Tory MP turned The Independent Group/The Independent Group for Change/Change UK politician Anna Soubry by sharing that infamous Nando's snap.

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