A Tory MP has been kicked out of the Tory party tonight for ‘working with Labour and the opposition’ after he beat Boris Johnson’s pick Chris Grayling to the chairmanship of the powerful Intelligence and Security Committee.
Dr Julian Lewis secured the role despite widespread expectation that Mr Grayling would receive the backing of the Conservative-dominated Intelligence and Security Committee.
In a dramatic Westminster coup tonight, the Tory leadership took swift retribution against the Eurosceptic and removed the whip.
It is widely believed Boris Johnson wanted former transport secretary Mr Grayling to become the chairman of the body which oversees the work of MI5, MI6 and GCHQ.
A senior Government source said the removal of the whip was because the MP was ‘working with Labour and other opposition MPs for his own advantage’.
Opposition parties lined up this evening to condemn the move against Dr Lewis as ‘grubby’ and ‘psychopath politics’.
Labour former frontbencher Chris Bryant said: ‘It’s a momentous failure of intelligence when a PM takes months to handpick Intelligence and Security Committee members so as to deliver the Chair he wants and they refuse to do his bidding. To then chuck the new chairman out of the party is to lose control/the plot.’
Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner branded the move against Dr Lewis ‘grubby’. And the SNP’s Angus MacNeil commented: ‘We are in the world of psychopath politics… This is utterly jawdropping!’
Mr Grayling had been No10’s candidate for the role but a Labour and SNP ‘coup’ is said to have allowed fellow Tory Julian Lewis to secure the top job instead
Chris Grayling, MP, drives his car through the House of Commons gates this afternoon, smiling and expcting to become the new Head of the Intelligence and Security committee. However, in a surprising development, he was beaten by Dr Lewis
But the committee members voted instead for former defence select committee chairman Dr Lewis.
It is thought Dr Lewis had only nominated himself for the role this afternoon after it became clear he would have the backing of all four Labour and SNP votes.
With the Conservatives enjoying a majority – with five out of nine places on the committee – there had been concern at Westminster that the Tory members would be ‘whipped’ to support Mr Grayling despite concerns about his expertise.
Former national security adviser Lord Ricketts warned that Mr Grayling – who earned the nickname ‘Failing Grayling’ during a chequered ministerial career – does not ‘match up’ to the authority and reputation of former chairs.
Following Dr Lewis’s success, Lord Ricketts said the body was now in the ‘hands of someone with much wider experience of defence and security’.
The Tory leadership took swift action against Dr Lewis after he worked with the opposition to secure himself the chairmanship of the powerful Intelligence and Security Committee
As well as Mr Grayling and Dr Lewis, the 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.
Mr Johnson has faced criticism over the delay in appointing the committee which has not met since the last parliament was dissolved in November last year.
The committee 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 Mr Johnson had appointed ‘yes men’ to the ISC but ‘true to form, however, failing Grayling has been undone in his bid to be chair’.
‘I hope we now have a committee with real teeth that can hold this Government to account,’ he added.
‘That starts by publishing the report into Russian interference of our democracy before the summer recess so MPs can scrutinise it fully.’
Mr Grayling, the former transport secretary, was Downing Street‘s pick to take charge of the parliamentary body.
Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner (pictured) branded the move against Dr Lewis ‘grubby’
Mr Grayling had nominated himself yesterday and was said to not be expecting a challenge.
The former Cabinet minister had been widely expected to win the role after it became clear that he was Number 10’s preferred candidate.
A parliamentary source told Sky News: ‘Someone lays out a red carpet for you and you manage somehow to trip over it and set it on fire.’
The ISC, which is tasked with scrutinising the work of the UK’s intelligence services, has not been convened since December 2019 after it was dissolved for the general election.
It elected its members from across the House of Commons and the Lords earlier this week.
Now that it has a chairman it will be under pressure to quickly publish a long-awaited report into Russian interference in UK democracy.
SNP defence spokesman Stewart McDonald MP said: ‘This is another total shambles from the Tory government, which has failed to put in place a functioning Intelligence and Security Committee for more than six months since the election.
‘With his abysmal record of failure as a Tory minister, Chris Grayling is the only man who could lose a rigged election but it is right the committee has elected a chair and it should now get on with the crucial job of ensuring scrutiny and oversight of security matters, after months of delay.’
Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael said Mr Johnson had appointed ‘yes men’ to the ISC but ‘true to form, however, failing Grayling has been undone in his bid to be chair’.
‘I hope we now have a committee with real teeth that can hold this Government to account,’ he added.
‘That starts by publishing the report into Russian interference of our democracy before the summer recess so MPs can scrutinise it fully.’