By Isabelle Parkin
The US is “deeply concerned” over possible national security threats after Labour approved plans for a Chinese “super embassy” in London, according to a White House official.
The senior official told The Telegraph the US is “deeply concerned about adversaries exploiting the critical infrastructure of our closest allies” after Local Government Secretary Steve Reed gave the plans the green light on Tuesday, despite backlash from MPs.
MI5 director general, Sir Ken McCallum, warned in a joint letter with the intelligence and cyber agency, GCHQ, that national security risks at the site near the Tower of London could not be wholly eliminated.
The letter to the Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary read: “MI5 has over 100 years of experience managing national security risks associated with foreign diplomatic premises in London.
“For the Royal Mint Court site, as with any foreign embassy on UK soil, it is not realistic to expect to be able wholly to eliminate each and every potential risk. (And even if this were a practicable goal, it would be irrational to drive ‘embassy-generated risk’ down to zero when numerous other threat vectors are so central to the national security risks we face in the present era.)”
MPs and peers had called on ministers to reject the plans, warning the embassy, the biggest in Europe, would “create a hub for expanded intelligence-gathering and intimidation operations”.
Mr Reed insisted the decision was made following “a quasi-judicial process”, adding: “This means they must make decisions fairly, based on evidence and planning rules.”
A written statement from the Communities Secretary also said: “All material considerations were taken into account when making this decision.
“The decision is now final unless it is successfully challenged in court.”
A Government spokesman meanwhile insisted “countries establishing embassies in other countries’ capitals is a normal part of international relations”.
The spokesman added that there were “clear security advantages” to the Chinese consolidating their seven different embassy sites in London into one large building.
The Government said Mr Reed agreed with the planning inspector “that any ethical or similar objections to the provision of an embassy for a specific country cannot be a material planning consideration”.
Read the rest of the article at GB News
