Chris Grayling: a failure of intelligence
What a shabby spectacle, said Nick Cohen in The Observer. The scandal over Boris Johnson’s handling of the House of Commons Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) has showcased all his vices. For months, to block the release of the intelligence watchdog’s embarrassing report on Russian interference in British elections, No. 10 prevented the ISC from reconvening by delaying nominations of new members for the committee. Then, when he could delay no longer, the Prime Minister tried to impose a pliant chairman on the re-established body in the form of the accident-prone loyalist Chris Grayling. This gambit failed last week when another of the committee’s Tory members, Julian Lewis, seized the chair with the help of cross-party votes (“Only Grayling could lose a rigged election,” said Westminster wags). In retaliation to this defeat, the “thin-skinned” Johnson vindictively stripped Lewis of the Tory whip.
It would have been a “travesty” if Grayling had won the chairmanship of the ISC, said Andrew Pierce in the Daily Mail. Lewis is far more qualified for the role. He has a distinguished background in security matters: he served on the ISC between 2010 and 2015, and chaired the Defence Select Committee. He’s also admirably independent-minded. A staunch Brexiter who was the former Speaker John Bercow’s best man, he’s “thought to be the only MP who refuses to engage with his constituents or colleagues by email”. But of course, this maverick streak could make Lewis a “nuisance” to the Government.
The affair highlights the PM’s deficiencies when it comes to basic party management, said Stephen Bush in the New Statesman. He and his Chief Whip should have realised from the start how unwise it was to try to bully MPs into installing Grayling as ISC chair, given that Lewis was better-qualified and has a rebellious streak – at 68, he had little to lose from defying them. Downing Street needs to devote more energy to monitoring and moulding the mood of Tory MPs, rather than always relying on threats to cast dissident Tories “into the outer darkness”. If Johnson ends up being ousted by his own MPs, his heavy-handed approach to parliamentary management “will be a big part of why”. In this respect, the “Lewis bunfight” may actually have done Downing Street a favour, said Stewart Jackson in The Daily Telegraph. If the PM is wise, he’ll learn from this setback. He still enjoys a considerable amount of “residual loyalty” among backbenchers. But keeping the troops happy requires good intelligence about brewing disquiet, along with charm and respect – not just “a text message demanding support in a key vote the next day”.