️ British police have arrested three men suspected of spying for China, including the husband of a lawmaker from Prime Minister Keir Starmer's ruling Labour Party, according to local media reports. London's Metropolitan Police stated on Wednesday that the three men had allegedly assisted a foreign intelligence service, violating the country's National Security Act of 2023, which was introduced to grant additional powers to tackle foreign interference.
️ While the police did not name those detained, as they have not yet been charged, they confirmed the arrests included a 39-year-old man in London, a 68-year-old man in Powys, Wales, and a 43-year-old man in Pontyclun, Wales. Following reports by The Times and the Telegraph that the husband of Joani Reid, the Labour lawmaker for East Kilbride in Wales, was among those arrested, she issued a statement saying she had "never seen anything to make me suspect my husband has broken any law".
️ The statement added, "I am not part of my husband's business activities and neither I nor my children are part of this investigation." It further noted, "I have never been to China. I have never spoken on China or China-related matters in the Commons," without naming her husband, David Taylor, a 39-year-old former Labour Party adviser.
️ In recent years, China and the United Kingdom have traded spying accusations, straining bilateral relations. The Chinese embassy in London condemned what it called attempts to "fabricate facts and concoct so-called 'espionage cases' to maliciously slander China," stating it had lodged a protest with the British side. Security Minister Dan Jarvis said British officials complained to their Chinese counterparts about the latest arrests.
️ Jarvis claimed, "The government has been consistent and unambiguous in our assessment that China presents a series of threats to the United Kingdom. We remain deeply concerned by an increasing pattern of covert activity from Chinese state-linked actors targeting UK democracy." Last November, Britain's domestic intelligence agency, MI5, warned lawmakers that Chinese agents were making "targeted and widespread" efforts to recruit them through cover companies or LinkedIn, allegations that Beijing has strongly denied.
️ The arrests could cast a shadow over British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's attempts to improve relations with Beijing following a January visit and the approval for China to build the largest embassy in Europe in the British capital, despite criticism that Starmer was prioritizing the economy over security risks.
Source: www.aljazeera.com