Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has confirmed the party is “looking into” the circumstances after an MP’s husband was arrested over allegations he was spying for China.
David Taylor, the husband of East Kilbride and Strathaven MP Joani Reid, and two other men were arrested by counter-terrorism officers at addresses in London and Wales on Wednesday.
After he was arrested, the Scottish Labour MP released a statement saying she had “never seen anything to make me suspect my husband has broken any law”. Ms Reid added: “I am not part of my husband’s business activities.”
Speaking to journalists on Thursday at the Scottish Parliament, Mr Sarwar described the situation as “deeply concerning” and said he wanted to “get to the bottom of these matters”.
He said: “This is incredibly serious, deeply concerning, a matter of national security, rightly being investigated by the police. And that needs to be a thorough investigation so we can get to the bottom of it.
“It’s deeply concerning right across the political spectrum. I think the scale of international interference now in our broader politics is really, really serious.
“I think we’ve seen international interference in our elections, in our day-to-day democracy, that is a matter of national security. On this specific case, of course, this requires a full and thorough police investigation. We have to get to the bottom of these matters.”
Pressed on the issue, he added: “As relates to our own colleague in the Scottish Labour Party, as I say, we have an independent governance and legal unit that is looking at these matters, and we’ll be making judgments.”
Asked if Ms Reid should be suspended, he added: “Rightly, this is an independent governance and legal unit process. We are looking at all the questions that arise from this, and we will be making judgements later.”
He was also asked whether Mr Taylor was a member of the Labour Party. “I’m not sure whether he is a member, whether he’d be a member of the Scottish Labour Party or, indeed, a member elsewhere, but we can look into that and come back to you,” he said.
“But if that is the case, I’m sure his membership will be suspended.”
Mr Taylor, a former adviser to ex-Welsh secretary Lord Peter Hain, who now works for the think tank Asia House, is associated with companies called Earthcott Ltd, a public relations company, and Moblake Associates Ltd, a management consultancy that dissolved in 2024.
Documents show that Earthcott and Moblake gave interest-free loans worth £23,393 in 2023 to Reid Strategies, a company of which Ms Reid was the sole director, with no date to pay the money back.
The Independent has contacted Ms Reid over the loans but an ally has pointed out that Reid Strategies was wound up before she became an MP at the general election on 4 July 2024.
Mr Taylor, 39, and the other two arrested men, aged 43 and 68, have now been released on bail until May.
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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.
“These 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. Our investigation continues, and we thank the public for their ongoing support.”
The arrests come at a time of heightened concerns about China trying to spy on British democracy after recriminations over the collapse of a court case last year involving a parliamentary researcher and a teacher. Both denied any wrongdoing.
There have also been concerns expressed in the Commons over China being permitted to build a super embassy in London just days before Sir Keir Starmer made a trip to Beijing.
Addressing the latest arrests in parliament, security minister Dan Jarvis warned there will be “severe consequences” if it is proven that China attempted to interfere with UK sovereign affairs. Mr Jarvis said the investigation “relates to China” and “foreign interference targeting UK democracy”.
He told MPs: “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.
“The government is 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 legislation is working well.”
