Starmer gives green signal for largest Chinese embassy in London despite security risk. Details here

London is going to have a mega Chinese embassy complex soon, as the British government gave the green signal for the construction of the same. The decision came despite the concerns around the security and its impact on political exiles in London. But the residents of the Royal Mint Court (the site of the construction) are planning to mount a legal challenge against the decision in the coming weeks. They are concerned that they could have been forced out of their homes for the project. MPs from across the political spectrum voiced their opposition to the application.

The former head of GCHQ’s national cybersecurity centre, Ciaran Martin, said earlier that the British intelligence agencies would not allow the new ‘mega embassy’ to go ahead if it posed unmanageable risks.

The decision has come ahead of the UK PM Keir Starmer's visit to China at the end of January. "All material considerations were taken into account when making this decision," the government said in a statement. "The decision is now final unless it is successfully challenged in court."

Beijing has made the embassy a priority in the UK-China relationship. The UK’s plans to redevelop its own outpost in China’s capital have been blocked for years by Xi’s government because of the London embassy row.

The Chinese government purchased the Royal Mint Court in 2018, but its requests for planning permission to build a new embassy on the site were rejected by the local council in 2022.