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1h ago

UK Approves China’s Royal Mint Court Embassy After Security Review

Ministers accepted intelligence advice that mitigations address key risks, leaving the decision in force unless a court intervenes.

A man walks past Royal Mint Court, the proposed site of China's planned mega‑embassy, after the government approved China's application to redevelop the former Royal Mint site in east London, Britain, January 20, 2026. REUTERS/Jack Taylor
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A general view of the building architecture on the site of the former Royal Mint in London on December 6, 2024, a site favoured by the Chinese authorities as a home for it's new embassy. As Britain's new Labour government bids to reset long-fraught ties with China amid a suspected spy scandal, another issue could prove thorny: Beijing's contentious plans to open the largest embassy in the UK. China has for several years been trying to relocate its embassy, to a sprawling historic site in the shadow of the Tower of London. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP) (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images)
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Overview

  • Communities Secretary Steve Reed granted planning permission and listed-building consent for a 20,000 square meter complex near the Tower of London following a quasi-judicial process.
  • MI5 and GCHQ said a package of measures “deals acceptably” with sensitive national security issues, including nearby cabling, while noting that some residual risk is unavoidable.
  • Government safeguards include bolstering the resilience of local fibre‑optic cables and confirming the publicly accessible forecourt will not have diplomatic immunity.
  • Opponents, including MPs, campaigners and local residents, denounced the decision and are fundraising to mount a judicial review as protests continue at the site.
  • The approval is reported to remove a diplomatic hurdle to a likely prime ministerial trip to China and would consolidate seven existing Chinese diplomatic premises into one location.