As state president of the Liberals, Brough opposed the merger which led to the creation of the Liberal National Party of Queensland in 2008. He returned to federal parliament in 2013, standing in the seat of Fisher. In September 2015 Brough was reappointed to the ministry by Malcolm Turnbull, who replaced Tony Abbott as Liberal leader and prime minister. However, his second stint as a minister lasted only until December 2015, as he resigned from the ministry following revelations that the Australian Federal Police had investigated him over his dealings with James Ashby. In February 2016 he announced that he would not seek preselection for the seat of Fisher at the 2016 federal election.