Joani Reid, the Labour MP for East Kilbride and Strathaven, has resigned the party whip following the arrest of her husband, David Taylor, on suspicion of spying for China. Reid announced on Thursday night that she would temporarily stand down while an internal investigation is carried out. Labour confirmed she had been administratively suspended, which has the effect of suspending the whip.
David Taylor, a former special adviser to Labour peer Peter Hain, was arrested on Wednesday under the National Security Act along with two other men aged 43 and 68. Police said on Thursday they had been released on bail until May. Taylor has also been suspended from the Labour party pending an investigation.
In a statement, Reid said: 'This week has been the worst of my life. The shock of recent days has been difficult for me and my family. I want to reiterate something very important: I am not under investigation by the police and no accusations have been made against me. I have done nothing wrong.' She added that she was voluntarily suspending herself from the whip to avoid distraction for the government and to protect her children's privacy.
The three men were arrested by counter-terrorism officers at addresses in London and Wales. As part of their inquiries, police also raided the homes of a journalist in Wales and a former Labour aide. Martin Shipton, 72, associate editor at the Nation Cymru website, described the raid as a 'Kafkaesque nightmare'.
The arrests come six months after the Crown Prosecution Service dropped charges against two men accused of spying for China, one of whom was a parliamentary aide. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has faced criticism over his visit to China in January and his decision to allow plans for a Chinese 'mega-embassy' near the City of London to proceed.
