Boris Johnson faces Tory backlash after parachuting controversial Chris Grayling into prized intelligence job

BORIS Johnson has sparked anger among Tory MPs by parachuting Chris Grayling into a prized intelligence job.

The PM is to appoint the controversial former Cabinet minister to sit on Parliament’s esteemed Intelligence and Security Committee.

Downing Street also plans to give other the other Conservative members on it the instruction to elect him as its new chair.

Running the committee – which scrutinises the work of MI5, MI6 and GCHQ – is seen as the most prestigious job for any backbench MP.

It traditionally goes to long-serving party grandees as a reward for years of service.

But the decision to award it to Mr Grayling has created an angry backlash among some backbenchers.

They point to the former Transport Secretary’s bumpy record in government where he committed a series of gaffes, and argue he has never held a national security role.

'GOING DOWN BADLY'

One Tory MP told The Sun: “Giving Grayling the ISC job is going down very badly, and is being seen as a blatant ‘jobs for the boys’.

“There were some eminently more qualified candidates to chair it, but clearly Boris owes him one.”

Other senior Tory MPs given prized places on the committee are ex-Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers and former security minister Sir John Hayes, The Sun has also learned.

The new boss’s first task will be to publish a report on Russia’s influence on the British establishment, which Boris suppressed in the run up to December’s general election.

The committee’s former chairman was ex-Attorney General Dominic Grieve, who lost his seat in December’s general election after running as an independent.

Downing Street refused to comment, but sources said the committee won’t be set up “for some weeks” yet.

Each member must undergo in-depth security vetting to ensure they can be trusted with some of the nation’s most important secrets.

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