Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has given China a two-week deadline to explain why key details in its revised plans for a massive new embassy in London have been blacked out, amid growing national security concerns.
In a letter sent by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government — which Rayner also oversees as housing secretary — Chinese officials were asked to clarify the redacted elements of architectural drawings submitted for the proposed site at Royal Mint Court. The ministry has requested a full response by 20 August, News.Az reports, citing BBC.
The proposed embassy, which would be the largest in Europe if approved, has faced strong opposition from both local residents and pro-democracy campaigners, who fear its proximity to London’s financial district could pose espionage threats. Some critics have also voiced concern that the embassy could be used to intimidate political dissidents and human rights activists living in the UK.
China purchased the 20,000-square-metre Royal Mint Court site in 2018 for £255 million. The plans include a cultural centre and housing for 200 staff, but also raise eyebrows for including unspecified rooms located behind secured doors in the basement — with no declared purpose.
The Home Office and Foreign Office were copied on Rayner's letter, which also highlighted the Home Office’s recommendation for a new “hard perimeter” around the site to limit public access — a measure that could require a new planning application altogether.
A final decision on the embassy is expected by 9 September, but Rayner has now taken control of the planning process from Tower Hamlets Council, which rejected the original application in 2022 citing security and safety concerns. China resubmitted an identical version of the plan in August 2024, shortly after the Labour Party came to power.
Critics within Parliament, including shadow national security minister Alicia Kearns, have accused the government of initially rushing to appease Beijing. “Labour’s rush to appease Xi Jinping’s demands… demonstrated a complacency when it came to keeping our people safe,” she said, adding that the redacted plans justified continued vigilance.
The Chinese embassy, responding earlier to growing scrutiny, defended the project as a diplomatic effort to “promote understanding and friendship between the Chinese and British peoples” and said the new embassy would aid its consular work.
However, campaigners — including groups representing Hong Kongers, Uighurs, and Tibetans — remain skeptical. Demonstrations have already taken place outside the proposed site, with fears that the embassy could be used to monitor, harass, or even detain political opponents of the Chinese government.
The issue also featured in last month’s first phone call between Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Chinese President Xi Jinping, where the embassy project was reportedly raised by the Chinese side.
With mounting public and political pressure, the government is now walking a tightrope between reengaging with Beijing diplomatically and addressing legitimate security concerns on home soil.
