China has proposed to turn the former Royal Mint building in Tower Hamlets into Europe’s largest embassy(Picture: Tower Hamlets Council)
UK intelligence services has warned against allowing China to build their new ‘super embassy’ next to critical communication cables.
China has proposed to turn the former Royal Mint building in Tower Hamlets into Europe’s largest embassy.
Although it has received support from cabinet ministers, the UK’s intelligence services, the Metropolitan Police and residents have all expressed their concerns.
MI5 are reportedly worried about the building’s close proximity to major communication cables, leaving them susceptible to an attack.
Meanwhile counterterror police said it’s creation was likely to attract protests and could take officers away from other frontline duties.
It was also feared surrounding heritage sites, including the Tower of London which is directly opposite the building, may come to potential harm.
China has purchased Royal Mint Court to turn into their new ‘super embassy’ (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)
The new super embassy would be just four miles away from the US’s own ‘super embassy’ in Nine Elms, which they opened in 2018.
Tower Hamlets Council rejected the proposal in 2022, but cabinet ministers have waded in to push for China to be given the green light.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said she will be making the final decision in October after Beijing resubmitted their proposal without any major changed following Labour’s election win last year, the FT reports.
And in a joint letter to Tower Hamlet’s Planning Inspectorate, Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper stressed the ‘importance of countries having functioning diplomatic premises in each other’s capitals’ and said the Met Police has withdrawn their objections.
But this has been branded ‘an extraordinary attempt to influence an independent inquiry’ by councillor Peter Golds.
The embassy would be directly opposite the Tower of London (Picture: Getty Images)
Latest London news
To get the latest news from the capital visit Metro’s London news hub.
He added: ‘This will be the largest embassy in Europe , a centre of potential disinformation located not only on a world heritage site but adjacent to the City of London, a world financial centre.
‘The Government must come clean as to what discussions they have had actually had with the Chinese Government on this matter.
‘The Met, who have enormous experience of controlling demonstrations at embassy locations, should say why, after Government intervention, they have changed their minds.’
The letter came just days after Chancellor Rachel Reeves came back from a trip to China.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy also visited the country last year, prompting people to question if ministers were ‘sucking up’ to Beijing.
Shadow Home Secretary James Cleverly said: ‘The timing of the call in raises a lot of questions.
‘Did Angela Rayner receive Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advice on this? Why has she gone over Sadiq Khan’s head?’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
News Updates
Stay on top of the headlines with daily email updates.