The husband of a Labour MP is among three men arrested in London and Wales on suspicion of spying for China and “targeting UK democracy”.

David Taylor, 39, was arrested alongside two other men on Wednesday, and is married to Labour MP for East Kilbride and Strathaven Joani Reid.

The Metropolitan Police said the suspects – aged 39, 43 and 68 – were arrested by counter-terrorism officers in London and Wales after being accused of assisting a foreign intelligence service.

Taylor is a lobbyist and the director of a PR, communications and consultancy business called Earthcott Limited.

He is also the director of policy and programmes at Asia House, which is a London-based think tank aiming to strengthen economic ties between Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

Responding to reports of her husband’s arrest, Joani Reid said: “I have never seen anything to make me suspect my husband has broken any law.”

“I am not part of my husband’s business activities and neither I nor my children are part of this investigation, and we should not be treated by media organisations as though we are. Above all I expect media organisations to respect my children’s privacy.”

The East Kilbride and Strathaven MP said: “I have never been to China. I have never spoken on China or China-related matters in the Commons. I have never asked a question on China-related matters.

“As far as I am aware I have never met any Chinese businesses whilst I have been an MP, any Chinese diplomats or government employees, nor raised any concern with ministers or anyone else on behalf of, even coincidentally, Chinese interests.

“I am a social democrat who believes in freedom of expression, free trade unions and free elections. I am not any sort of admirer or apologist for the Chinese Communist Party’s dictatorship.”

All three men remain in custody, and searches have been carried out at the addresses where they were arrested, the Metropolitan Police said.

Chinese officials in the UK and Beijing have been given a dressing down, a minister told MPs.

Updating the Commons, security minister Dan Jarvis said there will be “severe consequences” if it is proven that China attempted to interfere with UK sovereign affairs.

Jarvis said the investigation “relates to China” and “foreign interference targeting UK democracy”.

He told MPs: “Let me be clear, if there is proven evidence of attempts by China to interfere with UK sovereign affairs, we will impose severe consequences and hold all actors involved to account.

“The Government is taking robust action to ensure the UK’s democratic institutions and processes are a hard target for this activity.

“The National Security Act provides our intelligence agencies and law enforcement with the modern legal tools they need to deter, detect and disrupt the full range of state threats.

“The action counter-terrorism police have been able to take this morning is an example that that legislation is working well.”