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The MP whose husband was arrested this week on suspicion of spying for China has resigned the Labour whip while an internal investigation is carried out.
Joani Reid, the MP for East Kilbride and Strathaven, said on Thursday night she would temporarily stand down from the parliamentary party while the inquiry takes place.
Labour confirmed she had been administratively suspended, which has the effect of suspending the whip, while the internal investigation is carried out.
A spokesperson said: “Joani Reid has agreed to fully cooperate with the Labour party’s investigation into these matters”.
Her husband, David Taylor, was arrested on Wednesday under the National Security Act along with two other men aged 43 and 68. Police said on Thursday they had been released on bail until May.
Reid said in a statement on Thursday night: “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.”
She added: “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.
“I also do not want my children – who have nothing to answer for and who deserve privacy and compassion – to find themselves subject to intrusion.
“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. I will welcome and cooperate with any questions and worries the party may have.”
The three men were arrested by counter-terrorism officers at addresses in London and Wales on Wednesday.
Taylor was a former special adviser to the Labour peer Peter Hain when he was the secretary of state for Wales, and has since been a lobbyist with a company called Earthcott.
He is widely connected within the Labour party and Earthcott is listed as a supporter of a Labour business group, SME4Labour.
Taylor has also been suspended from the Labour party pending an investigation. “These are incredibly serious allegations. We cannot comment further while the police investigation is ongoing,” a spokesperson said.
After her husband’s arrest, Reid, who is a member of the home affairs committee, 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. Above all, I expect media organisations to respect my children’s privacy.”
She added: “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.”
The arrests come six months after the Crown Prosecution Service decided to drop charges against two men accused of spying for China, one of whom was a parliamentary aide who had worked with two Tory MPs. The two men had been due to go on trial but the case collapsed.
Since then, Keir Starmer has come under pressure over his decision to visit China and attempt to improve relations in January despite ministers and the security establishment saying they were “gravely concerned” about the threat from Chinese espionage.
The prime minister has also been criticised for allowing plans for a Chinese “mega-embassy” near the City of London to go ahead, saying security concerns had been addressed.
