UK MPs calls to block Chinese mega-embassy plan

The UK government’s own MPs on Tuesday raised serious security concerns in Parliament over China’s proposed “mega embassy” in the heart of London, as allegedly unredacted plans for the construction appeared to show a secret room in the basement. According to UK media reports, Prime Minister Keir Starmer is all set to approve the proposed construction near the Tower of London ahead of a planned visit to Beijing later this month. Sarah Champion, among nine Labour members of Parliament who have written to Communities Secretary Steve Reed to reject the new super embassy plans, raised the issue in the House of Commons to flag China as a “hostile state” that is “terrorising” people in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Planning Minister Matthew Pennycook said the government took these issues seriously and "all material considerations will be taken into consideration" when the decision is made "on or before 20 January".The parliamentary intervention follows a report in The Daily Telegraph claiming to have accessed allegedly unredacted plans for the site, showing a concealed basement room located alongside fibre-optic cables carrying financial data to the City of London and Canary Wharf, as well as communications traffic for millions of users. China bought the 20,000-square-metre Royal Mint Court site in 2018 for £225 million and later submitted plans to Tower Hamlets Council to build a much larger embassy than its current premises in central London. After local opposition and an initial rejection, the government “called in” the application for review — a step reserved for projects of national importance.