Jonathan Gullis

Jonathan Gullis

I’m proud to be a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Social Justice, an organisation I’ve long admired for its fearless commitment to tackling the root causes of poverty and social breakdown. At every stage of my career—as a teacher, trade union rep, local councillor, Member of Parliament, and government minister—I’ve believed passionately in aspiration, opportunity and accountability. These are values I see deeply embedded in the CSJ’s work, and I’m honoured to help advance them through policy and advocacy that puts people, families and communities first.

After studying International Relations with Law at Oxford Brookes, I trained to teach at the Institute of Education, where I earned my PGCE in Secondary Citizenship. I then spent eight incredibly formative years teaching in schools across London, Warwickshire and Birmingham. I was a Head of Year responsible for over 250 students, oversaw whole-school attendance, and served as the NASUWT rep—experience that taught me how policy decisions truly land in classrooms and on corridors.

I first entered elected office in 2011, becoming a Conservative councillor while still at university. In 2019, I was elected as the MP for Stoke-on-Trent North, Kidsgrove and Talke—the first Conservative to ever represent the seat. During my time in Parliament, I served on the Education and Business & Trade Select Committees and was proud to co-chair the APPG on Apprenticeships and found the APPG on Defibrillators. In 2022, I became Minister for School Standards, where I oversaw all primary and secondary schools in England. I introduced the new £30,000 starting salary for teachers and began work on a multi-year deal to improve PE and sport in primary schools.

I brought five Private Members’ Bills into law, including extending the automatic enrolment of pensions, and championed further reforms in education and road safety. I was also privileged to serve as PPS to ministers in the Northern Ireland Office and the Leader of the House of Lords, and as Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party.

Joining the CSJ feels like a natural next step. I’ve always believed in making policy not just about people, but with them—and the CSJ’s people-first ethos, practical research and bold thinking are exactly what’s needed to bring lasting change to communities across the UK.