'It’s lunacy! Completely mad!' Security expert warns China’s London mega-embassy could become European spy base
An intelligence expert has branded plans for a vast new Chinese embassy in London “lunacy”, as Labour MPs urge the Government to block the development over fears it could be used for espionage and intimidation.
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“It’s lunacy. It is completely mad to give China, particularly today’s China, this sort of site in such a sensitive place.”
That is the blunt verdict of Anthony Glees, a professor of intelligence and security at University of Buckingham, as concerns grow over plans for a vast new Chinese embassy in London.
Professor Glees told LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast that the proposed site at Royal Mint Court sits alarmingly close to fibre-optic cables carrying vast amounts of financial and communications data from the City of London and Canary Wharf.
Detailed plans of the super-embassy emerged today that show a hidden underground complex beneath the development.
Beijing sought to keep the details secret by redacting all publicly available versions of the plans.
They show a concealed chamber that will sit about a metre from fibre-optic cables that transmit financial data to the City of London, as well as email and messaging traffic for millions of internet users.
Professor Glees warned that embassies belonging to hostile or adversarial states are always a security risk, but said this case was exceptional in scale and sensitivity.
“What people call the cloud isn’t in the sky, it’s in the ground,” he said, pointing to the underground cables. “You can see from the plans how close rooms run to those cables. They can be tapped very easily. There are also heating systems suitable for large servers. In my view, this would not just spy on the UK, it would become the Chinese intelligence hub for the whole of Europe.”
Read more: China’s biggest European embassy to be built in London under new plans
He also raised concerns about the size and design of the embassy complex, suggesting it could facilitate intimidation or detention of critics, referencing the 2022 incident in which a Hong Kong democracy protester was dragged into the Chinese consulate in Manchester and assaulted.
The comments come as a group of Labour MPs urge the Government to block the development. Nine MPs have written to Communities Secretary Steve Reed warning that the embassy could be used to “step up intimidation” against dissidents and poses unresolved risks to national security.
The letter highlights China’s “recent track record of espionage, interference activities, and issuing bounties against UK-based Hong Kongers”, as well as the fact the site sits above infrastructure critical to Britain’s economy and security. Among the signatories is Sarah Champion, a member of Parliament’s Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy.
A decision on the controversial proposal was delayed until January 20, but Keir Starmer is reportedly poised to approve the embassy, potentially ahead of a planned visit to China.
If confirmed, it would be the first visit by a UK prime minister since Theresa May travelled there in 2018.
Professor Glees said he was astonished by reports that MI5 and MI6 had not expressed concerns. He questioned whether Britain could credibly claim it can manage the risks posed by Chinese intelligence operations, pointing to the collapse of a recent espionage case linked to Parliament.
“We look soft,” he said. “This should not be allowed to happen. Whatever reassurance is being hinted at, it cannot be accepted.”
MPs from across the political spectrum have echoed those warnings, urging ministers to reject China’s application to build the embassy on the former Royal Mint site, arguing that the strategic risks are simply too high.