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| Russia report: Julian Lewis appointed chair of intelligence committee | Russia report: Julian Lewis appointed chair of intelligence committee |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Conservative MP Julian Lewis has been appointed chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee, not Chris Grayling as had been expected. | Conservative MP Julian Lewis has been appointed chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee, not Chris Grayling as had been expected. |
| Concerns had been raised that the body's impartiality could be undermined, and members of the committee backed Mr Lewis instead. | |
| The committee scrutinises the work of the intelligence and security services. | The committee scrutinises the work of the intelligence and security services. |
| It is due to publish a long-awaited report on alleged Russian interference in UK politics. | It is due to publish a long-awaited report on alleged Russian interference in UK politics. |
| Publication has been held up by the 2019 election and then a delay in setting up the committee. It has been the longest hiatus since the committee was established in the early nineties. | |
| After Boris Johnson nominated five Tory MPs for the committee last week - giving them a majority - it had been thought Chris Grayling was a shoo-in for the chairman position. | |
| But it seems there was a coup. Opposition members of the committee were worried Mr Grayling would be too close to No 10, and decided to back Julian Lewis. It appears he then backed himself, thus securing a majority. | |
| It's an embarrassment for No 10 who are widely thought to have favoured the former transport secretary. A spokesman said the decision was for the committee alone. | |
| But it also suggests the members are determined to stay impartial - and paves the way for the publication of the long delayed report into alleged Russian interference in British democracy, which was completed last October but has been repeatedly delayed. | |
| The Conservative committee members are Mr Grayling, Sir John Hayes, Mr Lewis, Mark Pritchard, and Theresa Villiers. There are two Labour MPs - Kevan Jones and Dame Diana Johnson plus one Labour peer, Lord West of Spithead. | |
| Stewart Hosie is the SNP's representative on the committee. | |
| One of the first jobs of the newly formed committee will be to publish the Russia report. | |
| The report includes evidence from UK intelligence services concerning Russian attempts to influence the outcome of the 2016 EU referendum and 2017 general election. | |
| The delay in publication has led to speculation the report contains details embarrassing for the Conservatives, however minister Jacob Rees-Mogg said the hold up was due to a number of committee members leaving Parliament and the need "to make sure that the right people with the right level of experience and responsibility could be appointed". | |
| Speaking in the House of Commons on Monday, Mr Jones said the report should be produced before Parliament goes into recess on 22 July. | |
| "There's no reason why it shouldn't be. It's been through both the committee, it's been agreed through the redaction process, and it's been agreed by government," he says. |