Joani Reid has reportedly split from David Taylor after he was arrested in March on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service. The Labour MP for East Kilbride and Strathaven was later readmitted to Labour on June 30 after a voluntary suspension.
Sources close to the couple said they had been separated for some time and have two children. One friend said: “It isn’t something she did lightly, but they have separated and she felt she had to do it.”
David Taylor and the March arrest
Taylor, 39, was arrested alongside two other men and later released on bail. He denied any wrongdoing. At the time of his arrest, he was director of policy and programmes at Asia House, and he had previously worked as an adviser to Welsh Labour politicians.
Reid denied any wrongdoing and said she had never seen anything to suspect her husband. She voluntarily suspended herself from Labour before returning on June 30 after an investigation.
July and August ring photos
The separation became more visible in July and August, when Reid was photographed at events without her wedding ring after previously being seen wearing it in June. A friend said: “Deciding to remove her wedding ring has been one of the most difficult decisions she’s had to make.”
Another source close to the couple said: “They’ve split up, it happened a while ago now. Things hadn’t been great between them for quite some time but they have children together so are very much still in each other’s lives.”
The same source said: “People close to her know what’s going on, and they are looking at a divorce.” That points to a separate personal break from the police inquiry, even though the timing has drawn attention to both at once.
