Boris Johnson warned not to make 'mockery' of security watchdog by appointing Chris Grayling

Downing Street keeps lips sealed on reports former transport secretary to head intelligence committee

Boris Johnson has been warned he risks undermining public confidence in parliament’s intelligence and security watchdog if he goes ahead with a reported plan to appoint as its chair Chris Grayling, who was sacked from cabinet after presiding over a string of failed projects.

Shadow defence secretary Nia Griffith said appointing Grayling would “make a mockery” of the cross-party Intelligence and Security Committee, which oversees secret agencies MI5 and MI6 and the government’s GCHQ listening post, and is cleared to see intelligence material denied to other MPs.

One of the new chair’s first responsibilities will be deciding when and how to publish a report on alleged Russian interference in the British political process completed by its predecessor before the election, which was controversially delayed by Mr Johnson until after the vote had taken place.

Acting Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey described the mooted appointment of Mr Grayling - reported by The Sun - as “another blatant power grab” by Mr Johnson and his senior aide Dominic Cummings, designed to avoid them being held to account.

Mr Grayling was a prominent member of the Vote Leave campaign alongside Mr Johnson in the 2016 EU referendum.

But he was dumped from the cabinet by Johnson when he arrived in Downing Street last July.

In a seven-year career in cabinet he was linked to botched initiatives including the hiring of a ferry company with no ships to provide cover in a no-deal Brexit, outsourcing of probation to the private sector and a ban on books being sent into prisons.

Previous holders of the chair have included ex-attorney general Dominic Grieve and ex-foreign secretary Malcolm Rifkind, both known as independent voices willing to speak out about concerns over government policy.

Ms Griffith told The Independent: “The ISC plays an extremely important role in scrutinising the work of our intelligence community, and it is vital to have someone in whom we have full confidence.

“Previous chairs of the committee have been highly qualified and experienced, and often not frightened of criticising the government where and when necessary.

“We are currently still waiting for the release of the report into Russian interference in the UK’s democratic institutions, and the appointment of Chris Grayling to this role, with his track record of failure including wasting millions of pounds of taxpayers money on a botched Brexit ferry deal, makes a mockery of the seriousness with which this Committee should be treated.

Nia Griffith (PA)

Davey said: “This is yet another blatant power grab by Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings. They are trying to prevent anyone from holding them to account in a meaningful way.

“The Intelligence and Security Committee does crucial work holding the government and security services to account. It scrutinises evidence deemed too sensitive for the rest of us to see.

“The public needs to have confidence that the committee is independent of government. Installing a lackey of the prime minister – especially one with as little credibility as Chris Grayling – badly undermines that confidence.

“Principled Conservative MPs should refuse to go along with this latest authoritarian move.”

There was no immediate response from Downing Street to the report that Mr Johnson is planning to appoint Mr Grayling.