New UK intelligence committee chairman expelled from ruling parliamentary party

British lawmaker Julian Lewis has been expelled from the parliamentary Conservative Party after he was elected chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee, beating former government minister Chris Grayling.

The move was confirmed by a Conservative party spokesman. No comment was immediately available from Lewis.

Grayling was widely reported by newspapers to have been the preferred candidate of Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Lewis’ victory involved working with opposition lawmakers on the cross-party committee, which scrutinises the work of the intelligence and security services.

One of the committee’s first jobs under its new chairman will be to publish a long-awaited report on alleged Russian interference in UK politics.