British counter-terrorism police have arrested three men on suspicion of assisting China’s foreign intelligence services, escalating tensions between London and Beijing
amid a growing row over alleged espionage.
Police said on Wednesday that officers detained a 39-year-old man in London and two others, aged 68 and 43, in Wales. Searches were carried out at properties in London, Cardiff and East Kilbride in Scotland. All three suspects remain in custody.
The arrests come against a backdrop of increasingly strained relations between the United Kingdom and China, marked by repeated accusations of spying and political interference.
In line with standard UK police practice, the suspects have not been named. However, Conservative MP Alex Burghart told parliament that media reports by the Guardian and the BBC said one of those arrested was the spouse of a serving Labour lawmaker, while another was married to a former Labour MP.
Joani Reid, the Labour MP for East Kilbride, issued a statement after newspapers reported that her husband was among those arrested. She said she had “never seen anything to make me suspect my husband has broken any law” and stressed that she and her children were not part of the investigation.
“I am not involved in my husband’s business activities,” she said, adding that she had never visited China or spoken on China-related issues in the House of Commons.
The Labour Party did not immediately comment.
China’s embassy in London rejected the allegations, accusing Britain of fabricating espionage cases to smear Beijing. It said it had lodged a formal protest with the British government.
Security minister Dan Jarvis declined to comment on the specifics of the case when questioned in parliament. The arrests were made under the National Security Act passed in 2023, legislation designed to strengthen the UK’s ability to counter foreign interference.
Jarvis said the government would “always challenge any country, including China, that attempts to interfere with or undermine the integrity of our democratic institutions”.
Concerns about Chinese intelligence activity have been repeatedly raised by the UK security services. Last November, MI5 warned MPs about attempts by Chinese agents to gather information and exert influence at Westminster. MI5 director-general Ken McCallum has said China poses a persistent national security threat, including efforts to approach lawmakers through fake business or recruitment fronts.
The latest case threatens to overshadow Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s recent efforts to stabilise relations with Beijing. Starmer visited China in January and has faced criticism at home after Britain approved plans for what would be China’s largest embassy in Europe, to be built in London.
In a separate case on Wednesday, two men went on trial in London accused of conducting hostile surveillance on prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activists, allegedly on behalf of Chinese authorities. Photo by Chmee2, Wikimedia commons.