(TibetanReview.net, Nov29’25) – Concerned residents have threatened to take court action if, as expected, the Labour government of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer approves on Dec 10 China’s plans for a new super-embassy on the Royal Mint Court site, located near the Tower of London, reported the telegraph.co.uk Nov 18. They have called it a ‘spy hub’ and a security threat to the country. China has warned Britain faces “consequences” if it blocks the embassy any further.
Tibetan and other groups have also been protesting against what will be the largest embassy building complex in Europe for its feared use for carrying out transnational repression.
Besides, critics fear that China could convert the super-embassy’s basement rooms, redacted in its plans submitted for approval, into “spy dungeons” and tap into data cables that serve key financial centres, the report noted.
Meanwhile, the Royal Mint Court Residents’ Association (RMCRA) in Tower Hamlets has said it will launch a court challenge if the Government approves the Chinese proposals. The group plans to argue that the planned embassy is unlawful because it was pre-approved.
“The RMCRA is concerned that a decision to approve the People’s Republic of China’s application for planning permission was made before the planning application even opened,” a spokesman for the association has said.
Legal precedent sets out that a decision-maker on a planning application cannot show pre-determination, meaning they cannot come to the decision having already decided the outcome, the report noted.
In this connection, Lin Jian, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, called last month for the British Government to “immediately fulfil its obligations” and warned of “consequences” if it did not. He also accused Britain of showing “disregard for contractual spirit, acting in bad faith and without integrity”, the report noted.
This is seen as raising concern that the government had made some sort of agreement with China ahead of the expected official approval on Dec 10.
The report cited legal experts as saying any legal battle could reach the Supreme Court and take more than three years to conclude, potentially overshadowing Labour’s re-election campaign.
The Labour government has shown eagerness to humour China in order to improve economic ties following Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union. The collapse of the trial of Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry spying case has led to accusations that the Government was attempting to appease China to secure closer economic ties.
The Home Office and the Foreign Office, which represent MI5 and MI6 respectively, are not expected to raise any formal objections to the embassy plans, provided the right “mitigations” are in place when the Dec 10 approval time comes.
Proposals for the new embassy have been locked in a planning battle for years, with the decision called in for review by Angela Rayner, the former housing secretary, last year.
Ms Rayner was set to rule on the project in September but delayed her final decision until Oct 21 as a result of concerns that Beijing’s plans for the site were partially redacted. Steve Reed, who became Housing Secretary after Ms Rayner’s resignation, pushed back the decision again until Dec 10, the report said.