Scottish Labour MP Joani Reid 'voluntarily suspends herself' amid China spy probe
East Kilbride and Strathaven MP says she has ‘done nothing wrong’ and steps down ‘until internal investigations are concluded’
A Scottish Labour MP has stepped down from the party after her husband was arrested on suspicion of spying for China.
Joani Reid said she “voluntarily” suspended herself from the Labour whip “until internal investigations are concluded”, adding that she had “done nothing wrong”.
The East Kilbride and Strathaven MP’s husband, David Taylor, is accused of assisting a foreign intelligence service,
Mr Taylor, 39, alongside two other men, aged 43 and 68, were arrested by counter-terrorism officers at addresses in London and Wales on Wednesday. They were taken into custody for questioning by police before being released on bail until May.
In a statement, Ms Reid said: “This week has been the worst of my life. The shock of recent days has been difficult for me and my family.
“I want to reiterate something very important: I am not under investigation by the police and no accusations have been against me. I have done nothing wrong. I love my country,”
She said she did not want “speculation and gossip” surrounding her family to be a distraction for the UK government.
“Following discussions with the chief whip, I am voluntarily suspending myself from the whip this evening and will not sit as a Labour MP until internal investigations are concluded”, she added.
“I will welcome and co-operate with any questions and worries the party may have.”
Mr Taylor has also been suspended from the Labour party.
Earlier Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar suggested Scottish Labour were “looking at” suspending Ms Reid before she decided to give up the party whip.
Mr Sarwar said: “This is incredibly serious, deeply concerning - a matter of national security.
“It is rightly being investigated by the police and that needs to be a thorough investigation so we can get to the bottom of it.”
Asked directly if Ms Reid should be suspended from the Scottish Labour party while the investigation is carried out, Mr Sarwar said: “This is rightly an independent governance and legal unit process.
“We’re looking at all the questions that arise from this and we will be making judgments later.”
Ms Reid was backed by the UK Health Secretary, who warned about people coming to premature conclusions as he argued the East Kilbride and Strathaven MP is not being investigated by police.
Asked by The Scotsman during a visit to Edinburgh whether Ms Reid should lose the Labour whip, Mr Streeting said: “No, I don’t think people should rush to judgement either.
“I don’t think there’s been any suggestion that Joani Reid is in any way involved in the police investigation.
“While there is an investigation underway, I think it would be unwise to comment. The police need to be given the time and space to do their work, and people shouldn’t make any presumptions about the investigation or what its outcome may be.”
Parliamentary staff have been warned that the risks from Chinese spying “are not receding” after the three men were arrested on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service.
Pressed over whether Labour had a particular weakness for potential espionage or spying, Mr Sarwar argued that “it’s deeply concerning right across the political spectrum”.
Mr Sarwar was asked when he was last in the company of Mr Taylor.
He said: “I think I’ve been in his company at events…probably some time in the last year would be my judgment or recollection on that. But he’s not someone I know.
“I think it was a Labour party event of some sort. He’s not someone that’s well-known to me or someone I have any kind of relationship with.”
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Joani Reid has agreed to fully co-operate with the Labour Party’s investigation into these matters.
“These are incredibly serious allegations. We cannot comment further while the police investigation is ongoing.”
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