On October 16, 2025, the British government announced its decision to delay the approval of the planning application for the construction of a “mega embassy” by the Chinese Communist Party in London for the second time. Amid escalating national security concerns, the new Housing Minister, Steve Reed, has postponed the original deadline for the final decision from October 21 to December 10.
The Chinese Communist Party plans to build the largest embassy in Europe on the former site of the Royal Mint near the financial district of London, occupying approximately 20,000 square meters (200,000 square feet). The application was rejected by the local council in 2022, and subsequently, the decision-making authority was transferred to the central government under the British Labour Party, but the controversy has persisted.
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister stated on Thursday, “Considering the detailed submissions provided by both parties (applicants and opponents) and the need to give all parties sufficient opportunity to respond, the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG) believes that more time is needed for a comprehensive review.”
In August of this year, the British government discovered that portions of the new embassy blueprints submitted by China were heavily redacted for “security reasons.” The government requested to review the complete and unaltered plans to ensure understanding of the internal construction.
The decision to postpone the approval process comes at a sensitive juncture. On the same day, the Director General of MI5, Ken McCallum, stated that China poses a daily threat to the security of the UK, further complicating the government’s handling of the embassy decision.
Moreover, there have been changes in leadership in the housing department in August, requiring the new minister more time to review this case.
This construction project has raised high levels of alert in the British political sphere, with many lawmakers expressing concerns that the facility could be used by Beijing as a hub for espionage in Europe.
Due to the proximity of the embassy location to the City of London and Canary Wharf in London, Matt Western, Chair of the Joint Committee on National Security Strategy (JCNSS), previously wrote to the Housing Minister, warning that the site “poses eavesdropping risks in peacetime and sabotage risks in times of crisis.”
The proposed mega embassy by the Chinese Communist Party is positioned near data cables of the financial district and features extensive, complex underground facilities, raising particular concerns.
Democratic activists from Hong Kong, the Uighur community, and Tibet also fear that such a mega embassy would make it easier for Beijing to intimidate and retaliate against dissenters within the UK.
The Labour government led by Prime Minister Starm…
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