A Work MP is divorced from her husband, for whom he is alleged to have spied Chinathe Scottish Mail on Sunday can reveal.
Joani Reid, MP for East Kilbride and Strathaven, has divorced her lobbyist husband David Taylor.
Taylor was arrested in March on suspicion of espionage.
Ms Reid made headlines earlier this year when allegations were made that she had behaved inappropriately towards two naval officers stationed at the Faslane nuclear military base, near Helensburgh.
News of the marriage breakup comes as photos and videos show her attending events without wearing her wedding ring.
Meanwhile, she is reportedly in a new relationship with a married man, with the pictured couple heading to her constituency flat.
Sources close to the couple say they have been separated ‘for some time’ and insisted the split was not linked to the British police spy investigation or the MP’s alleged flirtation with two naval officers in Faslane.
Close friends say her decision to remove her wedding ring was “one of the most difficult decisions” the MP has had to make.
Labor MP Joani Reid and her estranged husband David Taylor in happier times
A source close to the couple said: ‘They’ve split, it happened a while ago. Things haven’t been going well between them for a while, but they have children together so they are still very much in each other’s lives.
“People close to her know what’s going on, and they’re looking at a divorce.”
A friend of Mrs Reid added: ‘The decision to remove her wedding ring has been one of the most difficult decisions she has had to make. It’s not something she just did, but they broke up and she felt she had to do it.”
Mrs Reid, the granddaughter of the late trade unionist Jimmy Reid, was photographed with a married man, said to be a ‘high profile Holyrood figure’, going to a flat in her constituency in July, the day before she was readmitted to the Labor Party.
They are also said to have met twice last month. Friends claim the relationship was short-lived and began after her divorce from Mr Taylor.
The MP had suspended herself from Labor following her husband’s arrest in March while the party conducted its own investigation.
But the 40-year-old was readmitted on June 30 and her recovery was announced on social media.
Ms Reid quietly removed her wedding ring when she returned to the Labor Party, with images on her social media clearly showing her without it.
On June 29, Ms Reid hosted an Armed Forces Day event at the East Kilbride British Legion while wearing the silver ring.
But during trips around the constituency the following month, she appeared to miss the jewelry.
Ms Reid attended events in July and August without her wedding ring
In a photo from July 15, Ms Reid is seen at a local business without a wedding ring, while in another photo she was again speaking to voters in East Kilbride town center on August 13 without the accessory.
On August 26, she posted a video on Instagram in support of Stonehouse’s by-election candidate Hannah Miller, clearly showing her not wearing her ring.
The turmoil for Mrs Reid comes after her husband’s arrest on March 4 on suspicion of spying for China.
Taylor, 39, was arrested along with two other Labour-affiliated men during an investigation by counter-terrorism police.
Officers searched Ms Reid’s home in East Kilbride, as well as properties in London and Cardiff, in March and arrested the men. They were subsequently released on bail and have not been charged with a crime.
The latest development comes after Ms Reid is alleged to have behaved inappropriately towards two naval officers stationed at Faslane in separate incidents since her election as MP in 2024.
The MP is said to have been drinking during a visit to the nuclear deterrent base as part of the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme (AFPS) – which aims to educate MPs about military life – and to have behaved inappropriately towards an officer during the trip.
Ms Reid denied any wrongdoing and said the claims were a political smear.
Separately, a nuclear submarine captain resigned from his position in April after an investigation was launched over his alleged relationship with Ms Reid.
The MP for East Kilbride and Strathaven wore her ring in June
The Royal Navy launched an investigation last year following claims that the senior military officer – who is married – had been involved in an inappropriate relationship with the MP.
It was claimed the pair had exchanged flirtatious messages, which the MP denied. A Royal Navy investigation reportedly found that the officer had not broken any rules.
The incident was re-investigated following the arrest of Ms Reid’s husband, but the Ministry of Defense is said to have been confident there had been no breach of security.
The captain involved said he had decided to resign for personal reasons and had not left the Royal Navy.
Ms Reid declined to comment when contacted by the Mail on Sunday.
