🔗 Share this article

A ruling on whether to authorize China's proposal for a fresh large diplomatic complex in London has been delayed anew by the administration.

Residential Affairs Secretary Steve Reed had been due to rule on the request by 21 October, but the cut-off date has been moved forward to 10 December.

It is the second occasion the authorities has delayed a decision on the controversial site, whose location has sparked concerns it could present an intelligence gathering danger.

A ruling had initially been scheduled by 9 September after cabinet members took control of the process from Tower Hamlets, the regional government, last year.

Protection Issues Highlighted

China bought the property of the proposed new embassy, at Royal Mint Court, adjacent to the Tower of London, for £255m in 2018. At 20,000 square metres, the proposed complex would be the most substantial embassy in Europe if it goes ahead.

The outstanding determination on whether to approve the fresh embassy was already under detailed review because of worries about the protection ramifications of the scheme, including the position, dimensions and layout of the building.

The site is adjacent to data transmission cables carrying communications to and from economic establishments in the City of London. Concerns have been raised that Beijing agents could employ the location to access the connections and monitor communications.

Recent Developments

More concerns have been brought up in the last several weeks about the type of the threat posed by Beijing, following the failure of the case against two men accused of intelligence gathering for China.

The Government Legal Department unforeseeably withdrawn accusations against legislative research specialist Christopher Cash, 30, and scholar Christopher Berry, 33, last month. Both men deny the allegations.

Prior Deferrals

The government's initial postponement was asked for by Reed's preceding minister Angela Rayner, after she requested China to clarify why some rooms within its architectural plans had been redacted for "safety concerns".

Architectural specialists working for the Chinese embassy had replied that China "does not believe that, as a fundamental issue, it is essential or appropriate to supply complete interior designs".

Rayner had written back to organizations involved in the discussion, including China, the Met police and a neighborhood group, to allow additional time to reply to the proposals and putting the time limit back to 21 October.

Existing Conditions

Reed, who took over the residential portfolio following Rayner's exit last month, has now requested more time before a conclusive determination needs to be made.

In a document reviewed by media outlets, the residential authority said additional time was required due to the "comprehensive character" of responses received so far.

It mentioned that it was not able to set a new deadline for new responses until it receives pending responses from the International Relations Department and Domestic Affairs Department.

Proposed Facilities

The proposed complex would contain work spaces, a extensive subterranean section, residences for 200 staff, and a recent underground connection to connect the Embassy House to a independent facility on the diplomatic campus.

Political Reactions

Beijing's application for the embassy was initially rejected by Tower Hamlets Council in 2022 over security and protection worries.

It reapplied an same request to the council in August 2024, one month after Labour came to power.

The China Consulate in the UK has formerly mentioned the fresh facility would enhance "reciprocal advantageous partnership" between China and Britain.

In a fresh official communication released together with Reed's document clarifying his causes for the latest delay, a China diplomat said oppositions to the property were "either baseless or unjustified".

Alternative Opinions

The Opposition Party said Government officials should reject the proposal, and charged them of trying to "muffle the warnings about the dangers to state security" presented by the embassy site.

The Liberal Democrats also demanded the request to be prevented, urging the government to "confront China".

Diplomatic Affairs commentator Calum Miller said it would be "insane" for ministers to allow the embassy development to proceed, after warnings from the chief of MI5 on Thursday about the risk of Beijing spying.

Intelligence Concerns

A previous senior consultant to the previous leader said MI5 and MI6 had cautions him China was "trying to build a monitoring hub beneath the embassy," when he was employed at Downing Street.

Speaking on a public affairs broadcast, the advisor said the organizations had advised him that authorizing the embassy to be constructed would be "an extremely bad idea".

In his yearly address, the security director said "China national operatives" presented a national security threat to the UK "every day".

He added that the UK had to "protect itself firmly" against China, while also being able to "take advantage of the possibilities" from maintaining connections with Beijing.