Husband of Labour MP among three arrested on suspicion of spying for China | UK news
A former Labor Party adviser who is married to a Labor MP is among three men arrested on suspicion of spying for China.
David Taylor, husband of Labor MP Joani Reid, was arrested by counter-terrorism police detectives in London on suspicion of aiding a foreign intelligence service and as part of a wider investigation into national security crimes involving China.
Police also arrested a 68-year-old man in Powys, Wales, and a 43-year-old man in Pontyclun, Wales. Police have not released the identities of the detainees, but both are understood to be former Labor Party advisers.
Taylor was a former special adviser to Labor’s Peter Hain when Lord Hain was secretary of state for Wales, and has since worked as a lobbyist for a company called Earthcott. He has extensive connections within the Labor Party and Earthcott is listed as a supporter of Labor business group SME4Labour.
Taylor is also director of policy and programs at the think tank Asia House, the secretariat of the all-party parliamentary group on Central Asia (APPG), a forum where MPs and colleagues can discuss and raise issues related to Central Asian countries.
Following his wife’s arrest, East Kilbride MP Reid and home affairs committee member Strathaven said: “I have seen nothing that would make me suspect my husband had broken any laws.
“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 as if we were by media outlets. Above all else, I expect media outlets to respect my children’s privacy.”
He added: “I have never been to China. I have never spoken in the House of Commons on China or China-related matters. I have never asked questions on China-related matters.”
“To my knowledge, during my time as an MP, I have not met any Chinese businesses, any Chinese diplomats or government employees, or incidentally raised any concerns with ministers or anyone else on behalf of Chinese interests.”
The arrests come six months after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided to drop charges of spying for China against the two men, one of whom was a parliamentary aide who had worked with two Conservative Party MPs. The two men were supposed to appear in court but the case collapsed.
Keir Starmer has since come under pressure over his decision to visit China and attempt to improve relations, despite ministers and security agencies saying they were “gravely concerned” by the threat of Chinese espionage. The Prime Minister was also criticized for allowing the construction of a Chinese “mega embassy” near the City of London, saying security concerns had been addressed.
The latest arrests were raised in the House of Commons on Wednesday by Conservative MP Greg Stafford, who suggested the MP whose husband was arrested “was on a select committee that would have had sensitive, perhaps even confidential, information” and may have visited defense installations across the UK.
Police said the arrests were part of a “proactive investigation” and there was no “imminent or direct threat to the public.”
Security minister Dan Jarvis confirmed in the Commons that the arrests were China-related and said he could not give further details to avoid compromising the police investigation.
“I can also confirm that this is related to foreign interference targeting UK democracy,” Jarvis said. “If there is proven evidence that China has attempted to interfere in the UK’s sovereign affairs, we will impose severe consequences and hold all actors involved to account.”
House of Commons speaker Lindsay Hoyle said the people arrested did not have parliamentary passes allowing access to the Westminster estate.
In addition to searches at the addresses where the arrests were made, counter-terrorism detectives were also searching what appeared to be residential addresses in London, East Kilbride and Cardiff.
The security services are investigating foreign interference in UK democracy, including attempts to interfere with policy-making and sovereign affairs.
Commander Helen Flanagan, the Met police’s head of counter-terrorism policing, said: “We have seen a significant increase in our national security-related incidents in recent years and we continue to work extremely closely with our partners to help keep the country safe and take action to disrupt malicious activity where we suspect it.
“Today’s arrests are part of a proactive investigation, and while these are serious matters, we do not believe there is an imminent or direct threat to the public related to this.”
Jarvis told MPs that British officials had formally protested the allegations to their Chinese counterparts in London and Beijing “to express our strong concerns”.
He added: “The government has been consistent and clear in our assessment that China poses a range of threats to the UK.
“We remain deeply concerned about the increasing covert activities of actors linked to the Chinese state targeting UK democracy. This includes attempts to obtain information about UK policies and interfere in our sovereign affairs.”
Jarvis said people need to understand that foreign powers will target not just politicians but also those close to them. “Everyone involved in the broader political ecosystem is involved here, and that’s an important message that people both inside and outside this house need to understand,” Jarvis said.
Previous cases of alleged spying within Parliament have caused deep concern at Westminster and led to warnings of a serious “systemic challenge” to British democracy.
Cases against two men with parliamentary ties accused of spying for China have been dropped after prosecutors failed to obtain critical evidence from the government that Beijing posed a “threat to the national security of the United Kingdom”.
Espionage charges against Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry were dropped by the CPS, a month before a high-profile trial was due to begin, initially saying only that the “standard of evidence” was no longer met.
Cash and Berry denied the accusations. At the time of the alleged crimes, Cash was a researcher specializing in China for Conservative MP Alicia Kearns, and Berry, a friend, was a researcher living in China. They were accused of passing information about Westminster ultimately to Cai Qi, a member of China’s ruling politburo.
