Julian Lewis calls Tory party sacking ‘strange’ after Grayling plot
Sacked Conservative MP Julian Lewis has called his removal from the party “strange” and labelled Downing Street’s attempt to install its own candidate to the chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) as “improper”.
Former transport secretary Chris Grayling had been handpicked by Boris Johnson to take the reins of the powerful committee, however a mini-rebellion saw Lewis win the vote last night.
Lewis colluded with Labour and SNP MPs to win the vote over Grayling, leading to Downing Street removing the Tory party whip from the 68-year-old.
Unlike other Westminster committees, the ISC chair is chosen by the committee and not the whole parliament.
Lewis spoke out this morning, telling PA that a 2013 law “removed the right of the prime minister to choose the ISC chairman and gave it to the committee members”.
“It was only yesterday afternoon that I received a text asking me to confirm that I would be voting for the prime minister’s preferred candidate for the ISC chair. I did not reply as I considered it an improper request,” he said.
“In recent days, the official No 10 spokesman explicitly denied that the government was seeking to ‘parachute’ a preferred candidate in to the chair, stating that it was a matter for the senior parliamentarians on the committee to decide.
“It is therefore strange to have the whip removed for failing to vote for the government’s preferred candidate.”
Lewis put up his name for the chair of the committee on the day of the vote, surprising Grayling who thought he would run unopposed.
Grayling, who has often been known as “failing Grayling”, was chosen by Downing Street as the preferred choice as chair of the powerful committee, with many speculating that he would give Johnson an easy ride.
A Number 10 spokesperson said this week that Grayling was chosen because he had “a range of experience including government, opposition and in parliament”.
When asked about Lewis’ victory, business secretary Alok Sharma told the BBC this morning that it was a matter for the committee.
“The whole point of that committee is to provide oversight, scrutiny and that will continue. With reference to individuals of the parliamentary party, I can only repeat that is a matter for the whips rather than me,” he said.
Lewis is now expected to publish a long-awaited committee report into Russian interference in UK politics, which was finalised last year.
There had been speculation that the government had tried to delay the report by taking six months to set up the committee.
Johnson also faced similar charges during last year’s election, after it took many months for the report to be cleared by Downing Street.