Overview
- Prime Minister Keir Starmer is widely reported to be set to back the Royal Mint Court project before a planned trip to Beijing, with a formal decision due by January 20.
- Unredacted blueprints reveal a 208‑room underground complex and a hidden chamber next to fibre‑optic cables that carry financial and communications traffic for London.
- The plans indicate a basement wall would be demolished and rebuilt near the cables and the chamber includes hot‑air extraction systems, which experts say could support heat‑generating equipment.
- The government says national security experts have been involved throughout, that all risks have been identified and addressed, and reporting indicates MI5 and MI6 lodged no formal objections.
- Nine Labour MPs led by Sarah Champion and Conservative figures including Alicia Kearns have urged rejection on security and intimidation grounds, as US officials voice concern about potential impacts on sensitive data and intelligence sharing.