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Chris Grayling has resigned as a member of the intelligence and security committee six weeks after being humiliatingly defeated in his bid to become chairman of the parliamentary watchdog.
Grayling wrote to the man who won him the job, Julian Lewis, saying he no longer wanted to be part of the body when parliament resumes next week.
There was no immediate explanation for why Grayling, a former secretary of transportation and justice, resigned. However, a Labor source said he was “in a bad mood” and had no desire to serve as an ordinary member of the body that scrutinizes British intelligence agencies.
Boris Johnson had promised Grayling the job of president only to be the victim in July of an ambush in which Lewis confronted him and won the 5-4 nomination with the support of Labor and SNP members.
A furious Downing Street took the conservative whip away from Lewis, a congressman since 1997, who responded by saying No. 10 had made “an inappropriate request” in trying to get him to support Grayling for the job.
Lewis then led the release of the long-awaited report from Russia, which revealed that the British government and intelligence agencies failed to make a proper assessment of the Kremlin’s attempts to interfere with the 2016 Brexit referendum.
Although Johnson had the right to nominate five Conservatives to the nine-member committee after the election victory, it was not really up to him to choose the chair.
Instead, once the prime minister and the leaders of the main opposition parties present who will make up the body, that group meets to elect their head, a process designed to ensure the independence of the body.
The attempt to impose Grayling was controversial even among conservatives because of his record as a cabinet minister.
As Transport Secretary, he presided over the collapse of the Northern and Thameslink rail services and the award of a no-deal Brexit ferry contract to a company without ships.
As justice secretary, he partially privatized the probation service and prohibited prisoners from receiving books from relatives, a measure that was overturned in the courts.
The ISC said: “Rep. Rt Hon Chris Grayling, in accordance with the Justice and Security Act, has written to the chairman of the intelligence and security committee of the parliament presenting his resignation from the committee. The president has sent a reply. “
