British lawmaker Joani Reid has said she has never visited China or raised China-related issues in Parliament after her husband was arrested on suspicion of spying for the country.
Her partner, David Taylor, is among three men detained by the Metropolitan Police Service under the National Security Act 2023. The three suspects aged 39, 43 and 68 remain in police custody.
Responding to the reports, Reid said she had no reason to believe her husband had broken the law. She said: “I have never seen anything to make me suspect my husband has broken any law. 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 by media organisations as though we are.”
She also emphasised that she has had no professional dealings with China during her time as a Member of Parliament. She said; “I have never been to China. I have never spoken on China or China related matters in the Commons. I have never asked a question on China-related matters. As far as I am aware I have never met any Chinese businesses whilst I have been an MP, any Chinese diplomats or government employees, nor raised any concern with ministers or anyone else on behalf of, even coincidentally, Chinese interests.”
Reid further stated that her political beliefs are incompatible with support for the Chinese government. She said “I am a social democrat who believes in freedom of expression, free trade unions and free elections. I am not any sort of admirer or apologist for the Chinese Communist party’s dictatorship.”
Earlier in Parliament, the UK security minister Dan Jarvis confirmed that Chinese officials in both London and Beijing had been formally challenged over the arrests.
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.”
Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said the arrests were part of a wider investigation. He said “Today’s 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.”