Labour MP Joani Reid suspends herself over husband’s arrest for ‘spying for China’

Labour MP Joani Reid said she has voluntarily suspended herself from the Labour whip until internal investigations are concluded after her husband was arrested on suspicion of spying for China.

Ms Reid, the MP for East Kilbride and Strathaven, who is not personally under investigation or accused of wrongdoing, said she was “voluntarily suspending herself” from Sir Keir Starmer’s party. Her statement comes a day after news broke that her husband David Taylor was one of the three men arrested on suspicion of spying for China.

The politician as said she will “not sit as a Labour MP” until a probe was concluded, and a spokesperson for the Labour Party said she was “co-operating fully” with the investigation.

She said in her statement that the week has been “the worst of my life” and “difficult”, but reiterated that she has “done nothing wrong”. She 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. To serve the people of East Kilbride and Strathaven as their MP and the Labour Party has been – and continues to be – the privilege of my life.

“I understand that speculation and gossip is fevered at a time like this. I do not want the circumstances that I and my family find ourselves in to be a distraction for this government, of which I am proud and in whom I believe.” A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Joani Reid has agreed to fully cooperate with the Labour Party’s investigation into these matters.”

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