UK Lawmakers Press Government to Block Chinese Mega-Embassy in London Over National Security Concerns
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The Chinese regime purchased the Royal Mint Court site in 2018 and wants to convert it to build a much larger embassy than its existing building in London. The site is located in the City of London, the capital’s financial district.
She said the unredacted plans showed that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) intended to build 208 secret rooms and a hidden chamber in its proposed new embassy, located just 1 meter from cables serving the City of London and the British public.
Kearns added that the plans indicated the CCP intended to demolish the wall separating the embassy from the cables, warning that the infrastructure carries millions of Britons’ emails and financial data and underpins the economy.
Such access, she said, would give the CCP “a launchpad for economic warfare against our nation.”
Cross-Party Concern
Other lawmakers echoed the warnings, arguing that the project could embolden what they described as Beijing’s hostile behavior.Labor lawmaker Sarah Champion said that multiple government departments and international partners had raised concerns about the embassy. She said every security briefing she had received identified China as a hostile state.
“I am in no doubt that this mega-embassy should not be allowed to go ahead,” she said, adding that the Chinese regime is “terrorizing” people in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Britain.
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Liberal Democrat lawmaker Calum Miller questioned whether ministers had seen the full, unredacted plans before and asked whether intelligence agencies would update their risk assessments.
He urged the government to pause any decision until an ongoing review into foreign financial interference in UK politics had been reported.
He also warned that the embassy could lead to “more surveillance, more intimidation, and more bounty hunting” targeting Hongkongers living in Britain, ahead of a protest at the site planned for the upcoming weekend.
James Naish, a Labor member, said the issue went beyond bricks and mortar and asked for assurances that the planning process remained independent.
In a Jan. 7 post on X, he called on people to “stand with local residents” and oppose what he described as a proposal surrounded by “secrecy, controversy, and serious national security concerns.”
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Government Response
Responding on behalf of the government, Housing and Planning Minister Matthew Pennycook said a final decision on the embassy was expected within the next week, following delays.Speaking on Jan. 13, Pennycook denied misleading parliament and said China presented both “threats” and “opportunities” for the UK.
“The Government [does] not provide a running commentary on planning casework decisions,” he said, adding it would be inappropriate to comment on material received during the process.
He said ministers would take all relevant planning considerations into account and insisted the process had not been compromised.
US Lawmakers Weigh In
In November 2025, prominent U.S. lawmakers wrote to British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, urging the UK to deny approval for the new Chinese Embassy in a strategic location in London.The lawmakers said the proposed site sat atop critical communications cables serving London’s financial district and warned that the CCP’s record on espionage and cyberattacks could jeopardize intelligence sharing among the UK, the United States, and other Five Eyes partners if construction went ahead.
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