A former MP who lost his seat at the general election has said he cannot get a job because he is a Conservative.
Jonathan Gullis, who was also a deputy Tory chairman, was booted out by voters in Stoke-on-Trent North after just one term in parliament.
Nearly three months later, he is still unemployed despite applying for several teaching jobs.
On Times Radio this morning, he said his previous role as an MP was now working against him as he tries to re-enter the job market.
He said: “It’s nearly three months now and I’m still without a job, right? And that’s scary. I’m a father of a four-year-old and a two-year-old. I’ve got a wife who’s extremely supportive.
“I was a teacher before and I’ve applied for a few jobs and sadly not even had an interview yet. So actually, I think the days when being an ex-MP was something that was wanted or desired is no longer I think we’re now seen as a problem. And so that’s a challenge.”
Asked by presenter Hugo Rifkind if he believed the fact he is a Tory “goes against you”, Gullis replied: “I’ll be perfectly frank with you. When I entered teaching it was always slightly more centre-left leaning but I always felt that it was fair.
“When I left the profession to enter parliament I felt that being a Conservative was something that was treated with disdain, and I do think there are a lot of schools that will see who I used to represent, and maybe my views which they may not like, and because of that - not because of what I can do as a teacher - but because of that I won’t even be given an interview.
“I think that’s a damning indictment on the profession that I do love and do care about. But sadly if you’re going to have too many activists in the classroom, which I do think we have at this time, then politics is going to sadly determine who’s allowed to work in that profession, which is not good for pupils [and] it’s not good for parents.
“They need teachers to be coming to deliver high quality education, not pursuing the very woke agenda that sadly has entrenched many of our education sectors.”