cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/51813032 > British police arrested three men, including the husband of a sitting MP, on suspicion of spying for China. The news comes weeks after Keir Starmer traveled to Beijing in a bid to repair ties with the country. > > […] > > British police said in a statement > > that three men were arrested on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service. > > That stood in violation of section 3 of the National Security Act, 2023, which was introduced to give authorities greater power to tackle foreign interference. > > In the statement, police confirmed that the country in question was China. The statement didn’t name the men, in keeping with UK practice. > > All three men, aged 39, 43 and 68, remain in custody. > > […] > > According to UK media reports, David Taylor, who is married to Joani Reid, the Labour lawmaker representing the East Kilbride area, was arrested. > > Reid said in a statement to newspapers like the Times and Telegraph that she had “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,” it read. “I have never been to China. I have never spoken on China or China-related ​matters in the (House of) Commons.” > > Asked about the reports in parliament, Dan Jarvis, the security minister, declined to give any further details. Jarvis said later in a statement: “We will always challenge any country, including China, that attempts to interfere with or undermine the integrity of our democratic institutions.” > > […] > > Last November, Britain’s domestic intelligence agency warned British lawmakers that China was using headhunters on LinkedIn and other covert operatives to recruit and compromise them. > > That rare warning bell came two months after a political scandal erupted in the country over the collapse of an espionage case against two British men accused of passing sensitive information to China. > > The new arrests now present a new challenge for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has pledged to reset ties with China after years of mistrust complicated ties between the countries. > > […]