UK Housing Secretary Orders China to Explain Redacted London Embassy Plans

Angela Rayner, Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary, has demanded that China provide a clear explanation for the redacted sections in the blueprints of its planned mega-embassy in London, particularly concerning the basement areas and other parts of the Royal Mint Court site. She has given Beijing two weeks to either submit unredacted plans or comprehensively identify and justify the withheld sections, including two suites of anonymous rooms and a tunnel in the basement, which have raised fears of espionage and potential 'spy dungeons.' The Home Office has also requested a 'hard perimeter' around the embassy site to prevent unregulated access, which may require further planning consultation. The embassy project, China's largest in Europe and located opposite the Tower of London, has attracted criticism and concern from UK officials, US authorities, and human rights campaigners over potential surveillance and intimidation of dissidents. A final planning decision is expected by September 9, with officials indicating that the current redactions could impede a lawful determination on the application. The demands and scrutiny reflect a growing governmental insistence on transparency and security amid geopolitical tensions surrounding the embassy's construction.