Justice Secretary Chris Grayling declared himself “delighted” yesterday when faced with evidence of the disastrous impact of his massive probation sell-off.

Durham MP Roberta Blackman-Woods confronted the minister in the Commons with concerns voiced by constituents working in the service over “mounting chaos linked to IT systems, the potential risks to the public, the reduced contact with offenders.”

A smug Mr Grayling (pictured) said she should instead “pay tribute” to the voluntary sector for bidding for the privatised contract in the area.

“I am delighted by the outcome,” he purred.

Scunthorpe MP Nic Dakin tackled the minister over “unprecedented clauses” in 21 deals to privatise the services that guarantee “a decade of lost profits should a future government walk away from these contracts.

“How much will the taxpayer have to pay the likes of Working Links, Sodexo and Interserve in those circumstances?” he demanded.

But Mr Grayling refused to answer, and instead accused Mr Dakin of a “misunderstanding of the way government works.”