Police conducted a search at the residence of James Robinson, the husband of former Labour MP Gloria De Piero, on Wednesday as part of an ongoing investigation into an alleged Chinese spying ring. Robinson confirmed the raid but stated he has not been detained or questioned by authorities.
Details of the Search and Investigation
In a statement, Robinson, who is the founder and director of Woburn Partners and a former media correspondent for the Guardian, said, "I can confirm that police officers visited my home yesterday with a search warrant. I understand their attendance was part of enquiries into those arrested and questioned over matters allegedly relating to China." He emphasized, "I would like to make it absolutely clear that I have neither been detained, arrested nor questioned in connection with this, or any other, matter."
Gloria De Piero, who served as the MP for Ashfield and was a member of the shadow cabinet under Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn, left the Commons in 2019 and now works as a senior adviser to her husband's firm. There is no indication that De Piero was involved in the police actions, with the search understood to be focused on her husband.
Arrests and Connections to the Labour Party
Robinson is the fourth individual with ties to the Labour party to be named in this investigation. He previously served as director of communications for Tom Watson, the former Labour deputy leader, in the late 2010s.
On Wednesday, anti-terror police arrested three former Labour aides: David Taylor, 39, Matthew Aplin, 43, and Steve Jones, 68. They were arrested on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service, contrary to the National Security Act, and were later released on bail.
David Taylor, husband of Labour MP Joani Reid, was a former special adviser to Labour peer Peter Hain when he was the secretary of state for Wales. Taylor has since worked as a lobbyist with Earthcott, a company listed as a supporter of the Labour business group SME4Labour.
In response to the investigation, Joani Reid, the MP for East Kilbride and Strathaven, announced she would temporarily step down from the parliamentary Labour party. Taylor has also been suspended from the Labour party pending further investigation.
Additional Searches and Statements
Police also searched the Cardiff home of Martin Shipton, 72, the associate editor at the Nation Cymru website, on Thursday. Shipton described the early morning raid as a "kafkaesque nightmare where I was unaware of what was going on." He has not been arrested but provided a voluntary statement about a trip to Hong Kong he attended with David Taylor, whom he has known for 25 years.
A Labour party spokesperson commented, "These are incredibly serious allegations. We cannot comment further while the police investigation is ongoing."
Matthew Aplin previously worked as an adviser to Labour in Wales, while Steve Jones served as an adviser to former Welsh first minister Carwyn Jones and former Labour chief whip Hilary Armstrong.
