The MP wife of an alleged China spy, a very boozy night at Faslane nuclear base - and the riddle of her dailliances with TWO senior Naval officers

By RICHARD KAY, EDITOR-AT-LARGE Published: 00:41, 4 April 2026 | Updated: 00:54, 4 April 2026 For most visitors allowed within the heavily guarded perimeter of His Majesty's naval base at Faslane on the River Clyde, the highlight of their stay is usually a chance to see up close one of the Vanguard-class submarines that carry the UK's nuclear deterrent. These, after all, are the cream of Britain's submersible fleet, armed with Trident ballistic missiles and sonar tracking that can detect an enemy vessel 50 miles away. Their movements, along with the personnel who man them, are restricted and classified information. Just how secret would have been immediately clear to the 15 or so MPs and peers who were among one such visiting party invited to the base a little over a year ago. For among the conditions of entry they had to agree to was handing over their mobile telephones and other devices because of the Royal Navy's strict no-photography rules. What a shame. For during the course of their two days at the facility, which included an overnight stay, the parliamentarians were to be treated to a sight that surely would have made some very intriguing pictures. No official secrets were spilled on this occasion, but the lurid episode of heavy drinking and flirting involving a female MP that is said to have unfolded in the Faslane wardroom - the Senior Service's equivalent of the officers' mess - has been damaging and potentially concerning. It emerged this week that, following her visit to the base, the MP - whose husband has been arrested over allegations of spying for China - was reported for inappropriate conduct with a senior naval officer working on nuclear strategy. Joani Reid, a married mother of two, was said to have got 'carried away' at a drinks reception during the visit by members of the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme (AFPS) and was 'all over' the officer.  Labour MP Joani Reid with Sir Keir Starmer. Ms Reid resigned the Labour whip in March 2026 after her husband was arrested on suspicion of spying for China  Vanguard-class submarine HMS Vigilant stationed at Faslane. A lurid episode of heavy drinking and flirting involving a female MP that is said to have unfolded in the Faslane wardroom A fellow MP said that when a senior female Navy officer attempted to intervene and suggested Ms Reid go to bed she was sworn at by the MP, who was said to be 'extremely drunk'. Following her husband's arrest, Ms Reid's antics were relayed to parliamentary authorities because of fears that information on the nation's highly sensitive nuclear capability could have ended up in enemy hands. Senior figures are said to be satisfied there was 'no link' to the China spy case. But the combination of alcohol and a 'works outing' far from home can often be a dangerous cocktail and has been the undoing of many a career. Friends of the 40-year-old MP insist she was singled out, despite others on the trip also drinking heavily, and that the lurid accounts were the result of Tory MPs 'trying to make mischief'. However, this admirable defence seemed to ignore the crucial adage that if you are in a hole, stop digging. For the saga took a further extraordinary twist when it was revealed that in a quite separate incident, the captain of another one of Britain's nuclear-armed subs has quit his role after being investigated over his links with Ms Reid. According to the Financial Times, the Navy began an inquiry into allegations that the married officer had conducted an inappropriate relationship with her. They were said to have exchanged flirtatious messages and the investigation - from a 'due-diligence perspective' - was to examine any potential blackmail risk. Last month, a fresh round of security checks on their connections were carried out after Ms Reid's husband, David Taylor, a former Labour adviser, was held under the National Security Act on suspicion of assisting China's foreign intelligence service. Ministry of Defence officials were reportedly satisfied by the checks and confident that there had been no breach of security, nor was the officer subjected to disciplinary action. He has not left the service but has decided to step back from his leadership role for personal reasons. Joani Reid is Labour royalty. Her grandfather was trade-union firebrand Jimmy Reid, one-time communist and famed for his leadership of the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders work-in of the 1970s, a landmark in British industrial history All in all, it's a very rum do and has plunged the Royal Navy into a fresh crisis, only months after the First Sea Lord, Sir Ben Key, was dramatically removed from his duties and stripped of his rank of admiral over his relationship with a junior officer. The Taylor arrest had already triggered alarm in Whitehall and within the upper reaches of the Labour Party. Now the claims that his wife has allegedly been involved with not one but two senior military figures at the heart of the UK's nuclear fleet has added a murky twist. 'When her husband's links to China are added to the equation, the level of conspiracy and suspicion can't help but be raised,' one MP said this week. By any measure it has been quite a kerfuffle and has given dark-haired Ms Reid, a former London councillor who was only elected to Westminster in 2024, an unwelcome profile. The fallout from these revelations is likely to be more than just the cost of foolish misbehaviour for the MP, who had been commended for campaigning on Scottish child-grooming gangs. For Joani Reid is Labour royalty. Her grandfather was trade-union firebrand Jimmy Reid, one-time communist and famed for his leadership of the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders work-in of the 1970s, a landmark in British industrial history. His granddaughter now finds herself at the epicentre of a potential national scandal. So, what is it all about and how potentially damaging are the allegations against her? The origins of the Faslane incident appear to date back to soon after her arrival at parliament in Keir Starmer's Labour landslide when she took the seat of East Kilbride and Strathaven from the Conservative Party. Like many other young MPs, she accepted an offer to join the cross-party AFPS, which aims to give parliamentarians an insight into military life. Participants choose the Navy, Army, or RAF with a minimum commitment of 15 days' service over the course of a year. MPs get the chance to dress up in fatigues and visit units both at home and abroad. Those who complete this agreeable jolly attend a 'graduation dinner' with senior officers and defence ministers. Reid, whose constituency is about 30 miles from Faslane, signed up for the Navy experience. Trips for her intake included a Royal Marines-related visit to Norway and excursions to Portsmouth, where the aircraft carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales are based. But the highlight in January last year was Faslane, the top-secret base where the MPs and peers spent the night, and which, piquantly, was one of the settings for the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me. HM Naval Base Clyde at Faslane which is about 30 miles from Ms Reid's constituency  As one fellow parliamentarian on the trip told us, such a visit was a 'privilege', but one that had been 'abused' by Ms Reid. Following a day of briefings about the base, which is home to 7,000 personnel, the group were entertained to dinner in the wardroom, which sits within the base's Neptune building. The evening meal finished around 9pm and the group retired to a bar in the room above. It was her behaviour over the following 90 minutes or so that is at the heart of the controversy. Like most service facilities, the Faslane officers' bar is heavily subsidised and drinks are considerably cheaper than in 'civvy' pubs. Among military staff, alcohol consumption is closely monitored because of the secret nature of their posting, but staff have little power to control the drinking of visiting guests and dignitaries. MPs would certainly be considered among the latter category. According to our source, it was once the group had moved to the bar that he noticed Ms Reid's behaviour. 'She was all over this one officer,' he said. 'I didn't see him reciprocating in any way. At the same time, he didn't extract himself from the situation. 'But then, maybe he felt he couldn't because as an MP she was an important person - a VIP, technically. 'She got really hammered - absolutely hammered - so hammered that the officer in charge asked her to go to bed. Then she sort of swore at this poor woman. She was just extraordinarily lairy.' This account was backed up by another of the politicians. His verdict was equally damning. 'I'm afraid she was over-familiar, loud, pushy and was clearly drinking far too much,' he said. 'Most of the group were mortified by her conduct. Not what you expect from an MP inspecting secret nuclear facilities.' Asked about her behaviour the following morning, he added: 'I seem to remember that she didn't really have much memory of what she'd been up to. 'She seemed quite embarrassed when it was mentioned. 'I think one of the MPs suggested to her that she should apologise to the woman naval officer in charge. 'Whether she did or not, I don't know.' The episode left parliamentarians uncomfortable - and angry. One said of Ms Reid: 'She behaved very inappropriately and then carried on after the drinks.' Another witness claimed there was 'plenty of flirting going round when you're that drunk', but added that he could not remember any specific incident involving Ms Reid. Although details of the incident remained under wraps for 14 months, it is understood that Ms Reid's alleged behaviour was brought to the attention of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, who is a trustee of the AFPS. His office is said to have raised the matter with AFPS officials, who disclosed that Ms Reid had ended her involvement with the programme. The first our source knew of her departure was when her name disappeared from their WhatsApp group. Because she failed to complete the course, she did not attend the graduation dinner. An MP then alerted counter-terrorism police about the drunken episode following the arrest of Ms Reid's husband. The unnamed parliamentarian said: 'I made very clear that I was not suggesting any wrongdoing by Joani or the naval officer, but the police needed to know in case there was any risk to national security.' Meanwhile, colleagues of the second Navy officer who stood down from his submarine command have rallied round. 'He is an outstanding officer and was due to head the training for future submarine commanders' course - known as the Perisher,' one insider said. 'He is a great bloke and dedicated to the service.' It is understood that Ms Reid and the officer had known each other since they were young adults. He was not on the base when she and the other parliamentarians visited, but the pair were in contact subsequently. They are also reported to have met once as well, but have had no contact since last September. Ms Reid has denied their exchanges were flirtatious. Quoting officials familiar with the case, the Financial Times reported that 'there was no physical relationship between the pair'. For her part Ms Reid, who 'voluntarily' suspended herself from the Labour whip after her husband was arrested, has accused critics of 'opportunistic hypocrisy' for reporting her. A close figure pointed to the gap of 'nearly a year between the events and the report,' adding: 'Many of the male MPs attending had plenty to drink, too, but only the woman is reported. Not hard to see what the real force behind this is when you consider that.' The figure also said that any suggestion that Ms Reid had any relationship with the submariner from the wardroom incident was nonsense, adding: 'They have never spoken since and Joani doesn't even know his name.' In a statement, the Royal Navy said: 'The security of the nuclear deterrent is our highest priority, and we have robust processes in place to protect the security of our people and capabilities. 'We will not comment on individual cases.' Whatever the truth of what did or did not take place at Faslane, it has added to an unedifying series of scandals to beset the Royal Navy in recent years. In 2024 the commander of a Vanguard-class submarine was sacked after filming a sex video. This came after another nuclear sub commander was removed from his vessel in 2017 amid claims of an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate. Against a backdrop of booze, an MP and spy allegations, this latest brouhaha is likely to run and run. Deep waters indeed. 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