A Conservative MP has been effectively kicked out of the party after beating Downing Street’s pick to the chairmanship of Parliament’s intelligence watchdog.
Dr Julian Lewis secured the role despite widespread expectation that former transport secretary Chris Grayling would win the backing of the Tory-dominated Intelligence and Security Committee.
The contender surprised Westminster by putting himself forward and secured a majority by voting for himself, adding to votes from the committee’s four Labour and SNP members.
Then in another surprising move the Tory leadership took disciplinary action against Dr Lewis and removed the party whip, effectively expelling him. A senior Government source said this was a retaliation to the new chairman ‘working with Labour and other opposition MPs for his own advantage’.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson was widely believed to want Grayling to become the chairman of the body which oversees the work of MI5, MI6 and GCHQ and holds the intelligence services to account.
With the Conservatives enjoying five out of nine places on the committee, there had been concern at Westminster that the Tory members would be ‘whipped’ to support the Prime Minister’s favourite despite concerns about his expertise.
Former national security adviser Lord Ricketts warned Downing Street’s pick – who earned the nickname ‘Failing Grayling’ during his chequered ministerial career – does not ‘match up’ to the authority and reputation of former chairs.
After the victory of former defence select committee chairman Dr Lewis, Lord Ricketts said the body was now in the ‘hands of someone with much wider experience of defence and security’.
The other members of the ISC are Tory MPs Theresa Villiers, Sir John Hayes and Mark Pritchard, Labour MPs Dame Diana Johnson and Kevan Jones, the Labour peer Admiral Lord West and the SNP MP Stewart Hosie.
Johnson has faced criticism over the delay in appointing the committee which has not met since the last parliament was dissolved in November.
The body has yet to publish its long-awaited report into Russian interference in UK politics after Mr Johnson refused to clear it for release before last year’s general election.
A committee source said: ‘This was a secret ballot but clearly for him (Mr Grayling) to lose, some Tories decided not to vote for him.’
Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael said Johnson had appointed ‘yes men’ to the ISC but ‘true to form, however, failing Grayling has been undone in his bid to be chair’.
He added: ‘I hope we now have a committee with real teeth that can hold this Government to account.
‘That starts by publishing the report into Russian interference of our democracy before the summer recess so MPs can scrutinise it fully.’
Shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy tweeted: ‘Completely self-defeating act
that bears the hallmark of a Government so arrogant it really believes it is
above scrutiny. What is in the Russia report that Johnson doesn’t want to see
the light of day?’
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