‘Is Boris scared of independent chair?’

IT is unusual for a government not to get its way on who chairs committees in parliament, but Chris Grayling losing the chair role on the intelligence committee is remarkable.

The committee looks after the spies and the way Britain is penetrated by foreign powers.

Grayling, right, has long been a favourite of Boris Johnson, and when he was beaten by fellow Tory Julian Lewis, Johnson kicked the victor out of the parliamentary Conservative party.

What has Johnson got to fear from an independent chair?

Top of the list is the report into Russian interference in British affairs, after the poisoning of an ex-russian secret agent in Salisbury.

The report into this has been held back first until after the election. Seven months after the election, it is still held back. Maybe we can now get the report?

Putting Chris Grayling up for the job was always a stretch.

This is the man who gave

a contract for post-brexit shipping to a company with no ships. He presided over the collapse of Northern and Thameslink rail services, part-privatised the probation service, and tried to ban prisoners recieving books from relatives.

But he supports Brexit, and that is all that matters.

The new chair, Julian Lewis, is a Conservative former chair of the Defence Committee who knows a good deal about Russian undermining of Britain, and will put Britain first.

I look forward to reading the report, if it is published.

And Johnson has drawn attention to the fact he does not want us to know what is going on.

TREVOR FISHER STAFFORD