A vast new Chinese embassy complex in east London is almost certain to be formally approved next week, despite renewed concerns among Labour MPs about potential security risks and the effect on Hong Kong and Uyghur exiles in the capital.
The approval for the “super-embassy” at Royal Mint Court near Tower Bridge would come shortly before Keir Starmer’s expected visit to China at the end of January. However, officials insist there has been no political input in the planning process.
The plans for the 20,000 sq metre complex have sparked a series of concerns from Labour MPs in the House of Commons. Alicia Kearns, the shadow Home Office minister, secured an urgent question on the matter, raising alarm over reports that unredacted plans showed a network of more than 200 subterranean rooms, one of which is located alongside communication cables taking information to the City of London.
Planning minister Matthew Pennycook, whose department is responsible for the process, said any new information would be assessed, but the embassy is expected to be given the go-ahead next week after a final consultation. He insisted the “planning process hasn’t been compromised” and that a decision would be made based on “relevant propriety guidance.”
However, Labour MPs have voiced strong opposition to the project. Kearns said the lack of security concerns from MI5 was “complacent” and that access to the cables underneath the embassy “would give the Chinese Communist party a launch pad for economic warfare against our nation.” She demanded the Chinese ambassador be called in to explain the plans.
Sarah Champion, who chairs the Commons international development select committee, said “multiple government agencies and government departments have raised concerns about this mega-embassy.” She stated, “Every security briefing I’ve had identifies China as a hostile state to the UK. I am in no doubt this mega-embassy should not be allowed to go ahead.”
Other Labour MPs focused on the potential repercussions for residents originally from Hong Kong, Tibet or Xinjiang. Alex Sobel, the MP for Leeds Central and Headingley, said the embassy could pose a “real threat” to UK-based Hong Kongers and Uyghurs, while Rushanara Ali, the MP for Bethnal Green and Stepney, called for the concerns of local people to be taken seriously, particularly the area’s large Muslim population.
The decision to approve the embassy has been delayed due to the “detailed nature of the representations that have been provided, and the need to give parties sufficient opportunity to respond,” according to Pennycook. However, the timing of the approval, shortly before Starmer’s visit to China, has raised eyebrows, with one government official acknowledging that “there is no political pressure, but that has crossed our minds.”