The British government on Tuesday approved plans for a massive new Chinese embassy in central London, ending a seven-year planning dispute that drew opposition from lawmakers, intelligence officials, and human rights advocates across the political spectrum.

Local Government Secretary Steve Reed formally signed off on the development at Royal Mint Court, a historic site near the Tower of London where Britain once minted its currency. China purchased the property in 2018 for approximately $300 million.

The 20,000-square-meter complex will become Beijing's largest diplomatic outpost in Europe. The approval allows China to consolidate seven existing diplomatic premises in London into a single location, which government officials argue carries security advantages.

Reed characterized the decision as "quasi-judicial" and based on evidence and planning rules, stating the approval is final unless overturned by a court challenge. Residents near the site have already announced plans to pursue a judicial review.

Intelligence Assessment

MI5 Director General Ken McCallum and GCHQ Director Anne Keast-Butler acknowledged in a joint letter to government ministers that national security risks associated with the embassy cannot be entirely eliminated.

"As with any foreign embassy on UK soil, it is not realistic to expect to be able wholly to eliminate each and every potential risk," the intelligence chiefs wrote. They added that attempting to drive "embassy-generated risk" down to zero would be "irrational" given other existing threat vectors.

However, the officials expressed confidence that mitigation efforts had been "expert, professional and proportionate."

British media have reported the complex would include 208 rooms in its basement levels. Critics have raised concerns about the site's proximity to underground fiber optic cables that carry sensitive financial data between London's two main financial districts, the City of London and Canary Wharf.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government stated in its decision letter that "no bodies with responsibility for national security" had objected to the proposal based on concerns about the cables or other underground infrastructure. Security Minister Dan Jarvis told Parliament the government had "acted to increase the resilience of cables in the area through an extensive series of measures to protect sensitive data."

Political Opposition

The decision drew sharp criticism from opposition parties and some members of Prime Minister Keir Starmer's own Labour Party.

Conservative shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel accused Starmer of giving "Xi Jinping what he wants — a colossal spy hub in the heart of our capital." Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch joined hundreds of protesters outside the site over the weekend, stating, "We do not want a country that spies on our MPs having this super-embassy right here."

Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Calum Miller called the approval Starmer's "biggest mistake yet," arguing it would "amplify China's surveillance efforts here in the UK and endanger the security of our data."

Reform UK described the decision as "a serious threat to national security."

Even within Labour, Baroness Helena Kennedy, a human rights lawyer and member of the House of Lords, characterized the approval as dangerous. "We cannot reinforce the dangerous notion that Britain will continue to make concessions — such as granting a mega embassy — without reciprocity or regard for the rule of law," Kennedy stated.

Nine Labour MPs had previously written to Reed warning that "the concerns surrounding the proposed site remain significant and unresolved," citing recent Chinese espionage cases and reports of bounties placed on UK-based Hong Kong activists.

International criticism also emerged. US House Speaker Mike Johnson, speaking ahead of his address to the UK Parliament, said he wished the United States had secured the location instead. Representative John Moolenaar of Michigan, who chairs the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, called the decision one that "defies common sense" and characterized it as "effectively rewarding China for spying on Parliament, interfering in the UK's elections, and fueling Russia's war in Ukraine."

Concerns From Exile Communities

Chinese dissidents and members of exile communities expressed alarm at the approval.

Carmen Lau, a former Hong Kong politician living in self-exile in London, called the decision "deeply disappointing but not surprising." She noted concerns among the Hong Kong diaspora, estimated at nearly 200,000 people who fled following the failed democracy protests of 2019.

"I've heard people planning to relocate into secondary exile," Lau said. "The reason is that we have been seeing Chinese agents and the PRC itself becoming bolder in reaching us in the UK."

Tenzin Rabga Tashi of the advocacy group Free Tibet warned the embassy would serve as "a daily reminder of China's increased presence, increased influence, over the UK government." He added that community members with family in Tibet would feel less able to engage freely in advocacy work.

Rahima Mahmut, executive director of Stop Uyghur Genocide, described the approval as "deeply dismaying" and "a profound betrayal."

Christopher Mung, a former Hong Kong district councilor who fled to Britain in 2021, said he felt "betrayed" by the decision.

Diplomatic Implications

The approval removes what had become a significant diplomatic obstacle in UK-China relations. The decision is widely expected to clear the path for Starmer to visit Beijing in the coming weeks, which would make him the first British prime minister to travel to China since 2018.

Britain is also seeking Chinese approval for a planned expansion of the UK Embassy in Beijing.

Downing Street defended the decision, with a spokesperson stating that embassies are "the first line of communication between countries" and that those who reject this premise are "either naive or recklessly isolationist."

China had previously complained about the seven-year delay, accusing Britain of "constantly complicating and politicizing the matter." Following the approval, the Chinese Embassy in London acknowledged the decision without further comment.

Tower Hamlets Council rejected China's initial planning application in 2022 over safety concerns. A revised application submitted in July 2024, shortly after Labour took power, was ultimately decided at the national level.