First minister responds to China spy arrests as three named

First Minister Eluned Morgan has responded to the Chinese spy arrests with a brief statement, after Conservatives pressed her to answer questions in the Senedd on the case.

Three men with connections to Wales and the Labour Party were released on bail after being detained on Wednesday on suspicion of spying for China.

David Taylor, 39, is a former adviser to the Wales Office and married to a Labour MP. Steve Jones, 68, is a former Welsh government special adviser and Matthew Aplin, 43, is a former Labour press officer and an ex-member of Reform.

The three were arrested at addresses in Wales and London as part of a counter-terrorism policing investigation under the National Security Act.

In a short written statement issued at lunchtime on Thursday, Morgan said she was "aware of the three arrests".

"These are serious allegations and it is vital that we do not hamper the work of the police in any way or prejudice any future legal process," she said.

"As this remains a live police investigation, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further on any aspect of this case."

In a statement on Wednesday, Scottish Labour MP Joani Reid confirmed that her husband Taylor, also a former Labour candidate to be North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner, was one of those arrested.

She said she had never seen anything to make her suspect her husband had "broken any law", adding that she was "not part of" his business activities.

The Welsh Conservatives had called for a statement from the first minister on the arrests, saying "we need to ensure that Wales is not a weak link when it comes to the UK's national security" and said there were questions for Morgan to answer in the Senedd chamber.

The request was rejected by the Senedd's Presiding Officer, the Llywydd Elin Jones.

Reform UK's Welsh leader Dan Thomas confirmed that Aplin is also a former member of his party.

Thomas told ITV Wales: "I have just heard that he used to be a member of Reform. He isn't a member right now and hasn't been a member recently.

"I gather that he was a member a while ago."

Taylor was arrested in London, Aplin in Pontyclun, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Jones in Powys.

Police said all three had been arrested on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service under section three of the National Security Act, which was introduced in 2023 to target suspects accused of working against UK interests.

They have been bailed until a date in May and enquiries remain ongoing.

The Met said they were supported by counter-terror police in Wales and in Scotland.

Police have said searches were carried out at the addresses where the three men were arrested and a car outside the Pontyclun property was also searched and photographed.

Officers also searched three other addresses - in London, East Kilbride and Cardiff.

Welsh journalist Martin Shipton confirmed in an article for Nation.Cymru that his home in Cardiff was searched by police in connection with the investigation.

Shipton, who is the website's associate editor, said police forced entry into his property and served him with a search warrant under the National Security Act 2023.

He said he gave a voluntary statement, and was not arrested. He said he had not done anything wrong.

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."

She said the arrests were "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."

Additional reporting by David Deans