A Labour MP warns Starmer he is crossing a red line with China embassy deal. The Backbencher raises concern over government’s attempts to improve relations with Beijing.
Labour MP warns Starmer he is crossing a red line with China embassy deal
East Renfrewshire MP Blair McDougall, a member of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, will join other MPs including former security minister Tom Tugendhat, former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith and shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick in a protest today against the proposed new building.
Why is the Chinese embassy a security concern?
Mr McDougall said: “We have to have red lines in our relations with Beijing. Currently Jimmy Lai, a British citizen, is in prison for exercising the rights that are guaranteed under the agreement between the UK and China. We should not be doing any favours for Beijing while they are in breach of past deals.”
It comes amid growing concerns over attempts by the labour government to build relations with China at a time when the new Donald Trump administration in the US is on the cusp of a trade war with the communist country.
But conversely this is the most important time to build relations with China as the US looks to isolate and bully itself as top-dog, at the least the British need leverage at every angle.
Where was the proposed new site?
The previous Tory government had blocked the new Chinese embassy proposed for Royal Mint Court in London on security grounds, with objections coming from the Metropolitan Police and security services.
The CCP wants to turn 20,000 square metres (2 hectares) of land at Royal Mint Court into Europe’s largest embassy building. After China bought the site in 2018, Tower Hamlets Council refused it planning permission in 2022 due to a range of concerns, including the impact of large protests at the site.
Who sold Royal Mint to Chinese?
The Chinese government resubmitted the application
The Chinese government resubmitted the application after Labour came to power last July. The new government called it in for review after the Chinese president raised the matter directly with Mr Starmer.
But following chancellor Rachel Reeves’s controversial trip to China last month, it is understood that the government has asked for objections to be withdrawn to allow the development to go ahead.
UK Cabinet ministers Yvette Cooper and David Lammy have signalled their support for the proposal. An inquiry is due to begin into the proposal next week.