A fuel pump has an electric motor with a stator, a rotor, a generally cylindrical tube having opposed ends, a fuel pumping element driven by the electric motor to take in fuel and discharge fuel under pressure, and a plate having a face disposed adjacent to the fuel pumping element and a discontinuous support surface against which one end of the tube is received. The discontinuous support surface preferably minimizes distortion of the plate face under loading from the tube in assembly of the fuel pump.