Prime Minister Keir Starmer is poised to grant final approval for a controversial new Chinese embassy in London this week, according to reports, despite fresh security scrutiny and opposition from within his own party.
Security Concerns Over "Secret Rooms" and Critical Infrastructure
The planned mega-embassy at Royal Mint Court, near the City of London, is expected to receive the Prime Minister's sign-off ahead of a crucial deadline next Tuesday 20 January 2026. This comes as a leaked memo of planning applications, published in The Telegraph, uncovered redacted rooms on the site.
The report suggested these secret rooms are located perilously close to critical fibre-optic cables connecting the City with Canary Wharf. This proximity has raised significant alarm among government officials and City chiefs, who fear it could facilitate Chinese espionage and compromise sensitive information.
Labour MPs Voice Strong Opposition
The timing of the expected approval is awkward for the Labour government, following recent revelations of Chinese spy operations breaching high-level UK government systems. On Monday night, a group of nine Labour officials, including MP Sarah Champion of parliament’s Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy, wrote to the Prime Minister urging him to block the plans.
Their letter highlighted two core issues:
- The embassy's proposed location above sensitive infrastructure critical to both the UK’s economic and national security.
- China's recent track record of espionage cases, interference activities, and issuing bounties against UK-based Hong Kongers.
However, the government has stated that security services have now dropped their concerns regarding the planning application.
A Diplomatic Tightrope on Trade and Security
Starmer's decision reflects the delicate balance his government is attempting to strike with China, the UK's fourth largest single trading partner. The Prime Minister is also scheduled to visit Beijing later this month, taking senior business figures in a bid to boost trade ties and remedy diplomatic relations.
Official data shows that while foreign direct investment from China has decreased in recent years, imports have risen to £72.5 billion in the year to July 2025. The financial and advisory sectors constitute a major part of UK-China services trade.
Starmer has been repeatedly warned about threats posed by China, notably since the collapse of the prosecution of two alleged spies. MI5 boss Ken McCallum highlighted China's security threat in a speech last October, noting the intelligence body's frequent interventions to stop plots.
A spokesman for the Chinese embassy has criticised what they call reports "peddling China spy narratives and vilifying China." The government's final decision, expected imminently, will signal its priority in the ongoing tension between national security and economic diplomacy.
