The partner of a Labour MP has reportedly been arrested on suspicion of spying for China along with two others following a Counter Terrorism Policing investigation.
Detectives arrested the trio earlier today on suspicion of assisting Chinese intelligence services under the National Security Act, the Met Police said.
A 39-year-old man was arrested at an address in London, a 68-year-old man at an address in Powys, Wales and a 43-year-old man in Pontyclun, Wales, the force added in a statement.
One of those arrested is the partner of a sitting Labour MP, while another is the partner of a former Labour MP, the Guardian has reported.
Speaking in the Commons after the arrests, Security Minister Dan Jarvis confirmed they related to ‘foreign interference targeting UK democracy’.
He added that the Government ‘stands resolute in our resolve to counter foreign interference activity’ and has been ‘consistent and unambiguous in our assessment that China presents a series of threats to the United Kingdom’.
Mr Jarvis said British officials had ‘formally demarched’ Chinese counterparts in London and Beijing to raise ‘strong concerns’ about the allegations.
‘Let me be clear, if there is proven evidence of attempts by China to interfere with UK Sovereign Affairs, we will impose severe consequences and hold all actors involved to account,’ he added.
Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle also told MPs that the partner of a Labour MP who was reportedly arrested did not have a pass to access the parliamentary estate.
The partner of a Labour MP has reportedly been arrested on suspicion of spying for China along with two others. Pictured: Houses of Parliament in London
Shadow Cabinet Office minister Alex Burghart later responded to Mr Jarvis’ statement to the House, saying: ‘Here we are again, another year, another Chinese spy scandal, and the backdrop to it is this Government’s failed policy of appeasement.
‘The Government must now surely be coming to the realisation that unless the United Kingdom stands up to these threats, our country will continue to be treated with disdain.’
Mr Burghart went on to a previous collapsed spy scandal case involving China and the recent approval of the Chinese mega-embassy in central London.
He added: ‘We in this House watched as these things happen, and the Chinese state watched too and saw that it could act with impunity.
‘The minister says there is no trade-off between our democratic and national interests, and security interests, and our economic interests. But I’m afraid that is exactly what has happened.’
Mr Burghart asked security minister Dan Jarvis whether it was true that one of the people arrested is the spouse of a sitting Labour MP, and another is the current spouse of a former Labour MP.
Mr Jarvis did not respond to the question and instead highlighted ‘that there are very strict limitations in terms of what I can say about what is obviously now a live police investigation’.
Speaking in the Commons after the arrests, Security Minister Dan Jarvis confirmed the arrests related to ‘foreign interference targeting UK democracy’
All three men were detained under PACE (Police and Criminal Evidence Act) and were taken into custody, where they remain.
The Met said enquiries remain ongoing at this time.
Officers carried out searches at the addresses where the three men were arrested, along with three other addresses in London, East Kilbride and Cardiff respectively.
The arrests and search activity were supported by officers from Counter Terrorism Police in Wales and Scotland.
Commander Helen Flanagan, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said: ‘We have seen a significant increase in our casework relating to national security in recent years, and we continue to work extremely closely with our partners to help keep the country safe and take action to disrupt malign activity where we suspect it.
‘Today’s arrests are part of a proactive investigation and while these are serious matters, we do not believe there to be any imminent or direct threat to the public relating to this.
‘Our investigation continues, and we thank the public for their ongoing support.’
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: ‘On Wednesday March 4 2026, we carried out a search of an address in East Kilbride on behalf of an investigation being led by Counter Terrorism Policing London.’
The arrests come just weeks after Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited President Xi Jinping in a bid to reset relations with China
Responding to the arrest this afternoon, shadow National Security Minister Alicia Kearns wrote on X: ‘This is the inevitable outcome when espionage is conducted without accountability.
‘There have still been no repercussions for the Chinese Communist Party putting a spy in Parliament.
‘Why? Ask the Government who must answer for their abject failure to act, and therefore to deter future attacks on our democracy.’
The arrests come just weeks after Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited President Xi Jinping in a bid to reset relations with China.
