CHINA’s mega-embassy in London could still be blocked as furious residents prepare to drag ministers to court over what they say is a stitched-up deal.
The £1billion controversial site, set to become Beijing’s biggest diplomatic base in Europe, is expected to be waved through by the Government within weeks.
Protesters take to the streets to demonstrate against plans for a Chinese super-embassy at the former site of the Royal Mint[/caption]
But campaigners and residents are preparing a major legal challenge, accusing ministers of having a “closed mind” from the start.
Deputy PM Angela Rayner is understood to have quietly handed the final call to junior minister Matthew Pennycook after the Planning Inspectorate submitted its report earlier this month.
A final decision is due by September 9 and the inspector’s recommendation, widely expected to back the scheme, will be published alongside it.
But the Royal Mint Court Residents Association, backed by more than 50 civil society groups, is now crowdfunding a judicial review.
They say the outcome was effectively preordained after Xi Jinping personally lobbied Sir Keir Starmer, and Chinese media claimed the embassy was approved just days after Chancellor Rachel Reeves visited Beijing.
A spokesperson the residents told The Sun: “We will fight this every step of the way. “There aren’t many of us, and we certainly aren’t as powerful as the Chinese Government, but they underestimate us if they think we are giving up our privacy, safety and even our homes without a fight.
“We believe there is strong case for judicial review.”
The five-acre Royal Mint Court site, next to the Tower of London, sits near sensitive data centres and key government buildings.
The embassy plan was rejected by Tower Hamlets Council in 2022 after years of national security concerns.
But Chinese officials revived the bid in late 2024 – only after Labour took power.
The application was then called in by ministers, stripping the local authority of control.
Earlier this month, Shadow Housing Secretary Kevin Hollinrake warned the process may have been unlawfully influenced and called for it to be restarted from scratch.
And more than 60 MPs and peers signed a cross-party letter urging the Prime Minister to pause the plan, warning it could give Beijing “the literal keys to the country.”
But the Government dismissed the concerns, saying only that the submission would be placed on file.
US officials have also raised the alarm, warning the embassy could give China access to sensitive communications and jeopardise intelligence sharing.
Luke de Pulford, of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, added: “It is a sorry state of affairs when we have to rely on a group of doughty residents to defend UK national security.
“Barring miracles, their legal challenge is the only way to stop this train-wreck. Let’s all get behind these brave residents.”
