Nick Thomas-Symonds – 2020 Comments on Appointment of Chris Grayling to Intelligence Committee

Below is the text of the comments made by Nick Thomas-Symonds, the Shadow Home Secretary, on 10 July 2020.

The decision by the Prime Minister to nominate Chris Grayling as Chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee is truly astonishing. This is an appointment to a vital national security role at a critical time.

It beggars belief that the apparently strongest Conservative candidate has overseen disasters such as the botched privatisation of probation services, a ferry agreement with a firm with no ferries, and the mishandling of the East Coast rail franchise.

Yet again this is an example of the Prime Minister seeking to work in his own interest, rather than the national interest. The work of the ISC is vital and the country will accept no further delays in the publication the long-awaited Russia report.