British Lawmaker’s Husband Arrested on Suspicion of Spying for China
Udumbara
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London police have arrested a British lawmaker’s husband over Chinese espionage concerns, prompting the legislator to step aside amid ongoing probes.
The lawmaker, Labor Party whip Joani Reid, has agreed to fully cooperate with her party’s investigation, according to a party spokesperson. Her membership is under suspension amid the probe while she remains an elected lawmaker.
Her 39-year-old husband, David Taylor, is one of three men arrested on March 4 under the country’s National Security Act. They were released on bail until May.
The Metropolitan Police didn’t name the suspects because they haven’t been charged, describing them only as a 39-year-old man from London, a 68-year-old from Powys County in Wales, and a 43-year-old from Pontyclun, Wales.
The men allegedly assisted an intelligence service in China, the police said without elaborating. Local media have identified the other two as Matthew Aplin, a former Labor Party press officer, and Steve Jones, previously a Welsh government special adviser.
Reid stressed that she’s not under investigation and that neither she nor her children are involved in her husband’s business activities.
“I have done nothing wrong. I love my country,” she said in a statement, noting she has not seen anything to make her suspect her husband has “broken any law.”
She described the suspension as voluntary.
“This week has been the worst of my life,” she said.
At the House of Commons chamber, UK Minister of State for Security Dan Jarvis expressed alarm over “an increasing pattern of covert activity from Chinese state-linked actors targeting UK democracy,” whether it be gathering intelligence on policymaking or active interference in governance.
British officials have raised strong concerns with their Chinese counterparts in both London and Beijing, he said.
“The Chinese only represent strength, and for them everything is transactional,” Conservative lawmaker Edward Leigh said.
He called on the UK authorities to summon the Chinese ambassador over the “intolerable” actions.
“You cannot build this mega-embassy in just about the most sensitive site in London while you behave like this,” he said.
In the United States, Chairman of the House Select Committee on the CCP Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) echoed the view.
“The British government’s failure to properly prosecute alleged spies last fall, coupled with its approval of China’s mega embassy, only emboldens the CCP’s espionage activities in the UK,” Moolenaar said.
He urged the UK to rescind the Chinese mega embassy approval and prosecute the cases thoroughly.
“As one of our closest security partners with access to American intelligence on China, the UK’s commitment to protecting sensitive information must be beyond doubt,” he said.
Reid’s office didn’t respond to a query from The Epoch Times by publication time.
