3 arrested in UK on suspicion of spying for China, including lawmaker’s husband
They are the latest in a number of arrests in the UK of people accused of spying or causing political interference on behalf of China
Three men suspected of spying for China were arrested on Wednesday, London police said. One of the three men is the husband of a lawmaker from the governing Labour Party.
The three allegedly assisted a foreign intelligence service in violation of the National Security Act of 2023, Metropolitan Police said.
Police did not name the suspects because they have not been charged. But they said one was a 39-year-old arrested in London, another was a 68-year-old arrested in Powys, Wales, and the third, a 43-year-old, was arrested in Pontyclun, Wales.
With calls growing for one of the three to be named in light of speculation that he was the husband of a lawmaker, Joani Reid, the member of parliament for the Scottish constituency of East Kilbride and Strathaven, issued a statement indicating that her husband was among those arrested while insisting that she herself was not involved.
She did not name her husband, David Taylor, who is 39.
“I have never seen anything to make me suspect my husband has broken any law,” she said.