Former transport secretary Chris Grayling, who had been tipped to lead the powerful Intelligence and Security committee, has been denied the role after members elected fellow Conservative MP Julian Lewis.
The Cabinet Office confirmed Dr Lewis’s appointment in a one-line statement on Wednesday evening.
It will now fall to him to decide when, or if, to publish a long-delayed report into Russian meddling in UK democracy completed by the committee last year.
Mr Grayling, Boris Johnson’s preferred candidate, was expected to be named the new chair of the body which oversees the work of MI5, MI6 and GCHQ.
But the committee members voted instead for former defence select committee chairman Dr Lewis.
With the Conservatives enjoying a majority – with five out of nine places on the committee – there had been concern at Westminster that the Tory members would be “whipped” to support Mr Grayling despite concerns about his expertise.
Former national security adviser Lord Ricketts had warned that Mr Grayling – who earned the nickname “Failing Grayling” during a chequered ministerial career – does not “match up” to the authority and reputation of former chairs.
Following Dr Lewis’ success, Lord Ricketts said the body was now in the “hands of someone with much wider experience of defence and security”.
As well as Mr Grayling and Dr Lewis, the members of the ISC are Tory MPs Theresa Villiers, Sir John Hayes and Mark Pritchard, Labour MPs Dame Diana Johnson and Kevan Jones, the Labour peer Admiral Lord West and the SNP MP Stewart Hosie.
Mr Johnson has faced criticism over the delay in appointing the committee which has not met since the last parliament was dissolved in November last year.
The committee has yet to publish its long-awaited report into Russian interference in UK politics after Mr Johnson refused to clear it for release before last year’s general election.
The so-called “Russia Report” was completed in March 2019 and passed on to Mr Johnson in October, but he blocked its publication ahead of the December general election.
A committee source said following Wednesday's vote: “This was a secret ballot but clearly for him (Mr Grayling) to lose, some Tories decided not to vote for him.”
Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael said Mr Johnson had appointed “yes men” to the ISC but “true to form, however, failing Grayling has been undone in his bid to be chair”.
“I hope we now have a committee with real teeth that can hold this Government to account,” he added.
“That starts by publishing the report into Russian interference of our democracy before the summer recess so MPs can scrutinise it fully.”
