THE SNP have called for details of an internal Labour investigation into Joani Reid “in the interests of national security”, as she is readmitted to the party.
The Labour MP for East Kilbride and Strathaven was suspended from the party while an internal investigation took place after her husband was arrested on suspicion of spying for China.
In March, she said she had “voluntarily” suspended herself from the Labour whip “until internal investigations are concluded”.
Her husband David Taylor was arrested along with two other men. All three have been released on police bail, which in May was extended until August.
He was listed as a “lobbyist” on Reid’s registered interests.
In April, further concerns were raised as reports emerged that Reid was alleged to have been involved in inappropriate behaviour with two naval officers.
The Press Association reports the Ministry of Defence has no security concerns over the alleged incidents and Reid was not part of the police investigation.
It is understood one officer – who commanded a nuclear-armed submarine at the Faslane naval base on the Clyde – was investigated over the claims, but was not found to have broken any rules.
The officer is no longer in charge of the submarine, but it is understood this is due to unrelated reasons and he remains in the Navy.
SNP MP Kirsty Blackman called for the findings of the investigation to be made public to offer “reassurance” to the public over the allegations.
She said: “This was a scandal of unparalleled proportions and it is simply not good enough for Joani Reid to be readmitted to the Labour Party with no reassurance given to the public on the national security of these islands.
“This is a Labour MP – married to a man under investigation for Chinese spying – that caused the resignation of a captain of one of the UK’s four nuclear-armed submarines while her behaviour with a second senior naval officer prompted a report to parliamentary authorities amid fears that intelligence relating to the UK’s nuclear deterrent could end up in enemy hands.
“We need to know exactly what the findings of the investigation were, including into the financial arrangements and the bizarre transgressions conducted at Faslane nuclear base.
“In the interests of national security, these answers cannot wait – Andy Burnham promised a new kind of politics, but for too long the Labour Party has protected one of their own with the public kept in the dark.”
In a statement on social media, Reid said: “I have never been part of a police investigation, as a suspect or as a witness, and I am pleased that this has now been recognised.”
Dianne Abbott, the left-wing Labour MP who was suspended for a second time last year after repeating comments about racism for which she had previously apologised, was also re-admitted to the Labour Party on Wednesday.
Abbott lost the whip and had a lengthy stint sitting as an independent after she suggested in 2023 that Jewish, Irish and Traveller people experience prejudice, but not racism.
She apologised for those remarks at the time and was eventually readmitted to the party just in time to stand as a Labour candidate in the 2024 General Election.
But in a BBC interview released in July last year, she said she did not regret the incident.
Her suspension came in the same week that Starmer carried out a purge of troublesome backbenchers in a bid to assert authority over the party.
It is understood that Diane Abbott received a formal warning from the party following her investigation.
A Labour spokesperson said: "The Labour Party expects the highest standards from our elected representatives and party members.
"The Party assesses any alleged breaches of such standards independently of the leadership and political interference.
"Following a process conducted under Labour Party rules and approved by the independent review board, Diane Abbott and Joani Reid have been readmitted to the Labour Party and have had the Labour whip restored in the House of Commons.
"Diane Abbott has also apologised following the independent process coming to an end.
"All Labour elected representatives must be mindful at all times of their platform and the responsibilities that come with that privilege.”
