UK Lawyer Warns Approving China Mega-Embassy London Unlawful

Lord Banner KC, one of the UK's top planning lawyers, has advised that it would be unlawful for the government to grant planning permission for China's proposed mega-embassy near the Tower of London. The embassy, planned at the former Royal Mint Court site, would be the largest Chinese embassy in Europe and has raised significant security and espionage concerns, especially due to redacted sections of planning documents that obscure the layout and intended uses of many rooms. Banner warned that once approved, China would have diplomatic immunity and could operate without accountability inside the embassy, making assurances about its use meaningless and unenforceable. The controversial plans have faced opposition from local residents, politicians, and human rights activists, who fear the embassy may be used to spy or detain opponents of the Chinese Communist regime. The UK government, including former housing secretary Angela Rayner, has pressed China to justify the redactions, but China’s consultants have declined to fully disclose the internal layout, citing diplomatic norms and referencing similar secrecy around the US embassy in Nine Elms. Critics, including Conservative shadow minister David Simmonds, have urged ministers to prioritize national security and reject the application, highlighting the risks posed by an unchecked Chinese presence in a sensitive location between major financial districts and data centers.