Labour MP Quits After Husband Arrested In China Spy Investigation

Joani Reid is the MP for East Kilbride and Strathaven. A Labour MP whose husband was arrested on suspicion of spying for China has quit the party. Joani Reid said she was “voluntarily” suspending herself after discussions with the government chief whip. Her move comes a day after her husband, lobbyist and former Labour adviser David Taylor, was arrested along with two other men on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service. Reid, the MP for East Kilbride and Strathaven, has denied any wrongdoing. In a statement, 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. “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.” Related... Labour MP Speaks Out After Husband Arrested In China Spy Probe