Husband of Scottish Labour MP among three men arrested on suspicion of spying for China

THREE MEN, INCLUDING the husband of an MP, have been arrested by the Metropolitan Police on suspicion of spying for China in the UK. 

Counterterrorism officers arrested a 39-year-old man at an address in London, a 68-year-old man at an address in Powys, Wales, and a 43-year-old man in Pontyclun, Wales on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service.

All three suspects remain in custody. 

While the police did not identify the men, Scottish Labour MP Joani Reid has issued a statement confirming that her husband David Taylor was arrested and stating that she has “never seen anything to make me suspect my husband has broken any law”. 

Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said: “We have seen a significant increase in our casework relating to national security in recent years, and we continue to work extremely closely with our partners to help keep the country safe and take action to disrupt malign activity where we suspect it.”

Police searched the addresses where the three men were arrested. Searches were also carried out at three other addresses in London, East Kilbride and Cardiff, respectively.

“Today’s arrests are part of a proactive investigation and while these are serious matters, we do not believe there to be any imminent or direct threat to the public relating to this,” Flanagan said.

“Our investigation continues, and we thank the public for their ongoing support.”

In a statement, Joani Reid said she has never been to China or spoken on China in the House of Commons.

“As far as I am aware, I have never met any Chinese businesses whilst I have been an MP, any Chinese diplomats or government employees, nor raised any concern with ministers or anyone else on behalf of, even coincidentally, Chinese interests,” she said. 

Reid, a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee and MP for East Kilbride and Strathaven, also said she was a social democrat “who believes in freedom of expression, free trade unions and free elections.

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“I am not any sort of admirer or apologist for the Chinese Communist Party’s dictatorship.”

She added: “I am not part of my husband’s business activities and neither I nor my children are part of this investigation, and we should not be treated by media organisations as though we are. Above all I expect media organisations to respect my children’s privacy.”

David Taylor is listed as a “lobbyist” on Reid’s MP registered interests.

Speaking in the House of Commons earlier this afternoon, the UK’s security minister Dan Jarvis said the arrests relate to “foreign interference targeting UK democracy”. 

He said the British government “resolute in our resolve to counter foreign interference activity targeting the UK from any state actor”.

The government has been consistent and unambiguous in our assessment that China presents a series of threats to the United Kingdom,” he said.

“We remain deeply concerned by an increasing pattern of covert activity from Chinese state-linked actors targeting UK democracy.”

Jarvis said this involved attempts to obtain information on UK policymaking and interfere with its sovereign affairs.

“Let me be clear. If there is proven evidence of attempts by China to interfere with UK sovereign affairs, we will impose severe consequences and hold all actors involved to account.”

He said the British government was taking “robust action” to ensure the UK’s democratic institutions and processes “are a hard target for this activity”. 

“The National Security Act provides our intelligence agencies and law enforcement with the modern legal tools they need to deter, detect and disrupt the full range of state threats. The action counterterrorism police have been able to take this morning is an example that that legislation is working well.”

With reporting from Press Association

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