The husband of Labour MP Joani Reid has been arrested on suspicion of spying for China, as part of a wider investigation into national security offences. David Taylor was detained by counter-terrorism police in London on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service.
Two other men were also arrested: a 68-year-old in Powys, Wales, and a 43-year-old in Pontyclun, Wales. Both are understood to be former Labour advisers. Taylor, previously a special adviser to Lord Hain when he was Welsh secretary, is a lobbyist with Earthcott and director of policy at the Asia House thinktank.
Reid, MP for East Kilbride and Strathaven and a member of the home affairs committee, said she had never seen anything to make her suspect her husband had broken the law. She added that neither she nor her children were part of the investigation, and stressed that she had never been to China or raised China-related matters in Parliament.
The arrests come six months after the Crown Prosecution Service dropped spying charges against two men, including a parliamentary aide who had worked with Conservative MPs. Security minister Dan Jarvis confirmed the latest arrests relate to China, describing the case as foreign interference targeting UK democracy.
Counter-terrorism detectives have carried out searches at addresses in London, East Kilbride and Cardiff. Police said the arrests were part of a proactive investigation and that there was no imminent threat to the public. Commons speaker Lindsay Hoyle said the detained men did not have parliamentary passes granting access to the Westminster estate.
