The partner of a serving Labour MP has been arrested on suspicion of spying for China in a widening national security investigation involving counter-terror police in London and Wales.
David Taylor, the partner of East Kilbride and Strathaven MP Joani Reid, was detained by officers from the Metropolitan Police under the National Security Act. He is one of three men arrested on suspicion of assisting Chinese intelligence services.
Also held were Matthew Aplin, 43, a former senior communications officer for Labour in the Welsh Assembly, and a 68-year-old man from Powys. Police conducted searches at the addresses linked to the arrests, as well as at additional properties in London, East Kilbride and Cardiff.
Mr Taylor, born in 1986, is head of programmes at Asia House, a think tank promoting engagement between Asia and Europe. He joined the organisation in September 2024. He is understood to have previously worked as a lobbyist for energy firms and served as a special adviser in the Wales Office during the New Labour government.
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Ms Reid, who was elected in July 2024 and serves on the Commons Home Affairs Committee, said following the arrest: “I have never seen anything to make me suspect my husband has broken any law.”
Mr Aplin has held communications roles with the Labour Party in Wales and worked for Ofgem and the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales. Since February last year, he has been employed as a senior consultant with Camlas, a Cardiff-based public affairs agency. Rhodri ab Owen, the firm’s managing director, confirmed that Mr Aplin has been suspended pending further developments, adding that police had not contacted the company and that it had no links to Chinese entities.
The arrests prompted a statement in the Commons from security minister Dan Jarvis, who said British officials had formally raised the matter with Chinese counterparts in both London and Beijing. He warned of what he described as an “increasing pattern of covert activity from Chinese state-linked actors targeting UK democracy”, including efforts to obtain sensitive policy information and interfere in sovereign affairs.
Mr Jarvis announced that the Government would introduce a new programme aimed at helping think tanks and non-profit organisations identify and guard against foreign interference risks.
The investigation comes amid heightened scrutiny of alleged Chinese espionage activity in Britain. Senior parliamentarians have warned of growing intelligence-gathering efforts aimed at undermining democratic institutions. Matt Western, chairman of the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy, said the UK could face “many more cases” of this nature.
Mr Taylor’s arrest is the latest in a string of China-related controversies affecting Labour. Party leader Keir Starmer previously faced criticism over the collapsed espionage trial of two men accused of passing parliamentary secrets to Chinese officials. The case fell apart after legal complications surrounding espionage legislation.
Separately, Labour has approved plans for a new Chinese embassy complex in London, a decision that has drawn concern from security commentators. Intelligence chiefs have acknowledged that risks associated with the development could not be “wholly eliminated”.
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter-Terrorism Policing London, said national security caseloads have risen significantly in recent years, reflecting what officials describe as a more complex and challenging threat landscape.
Police investigations into the three men remain ongoing.
