MI5 warns of 'potential risk' posed by China's London 'mega-embassy' following approval

The Government was seen to sign off plans for the new site in Central London on Tuesday, despite widespread criticism from MPs over security fears posed by the embassy.

Now, MI5 director general Sir Ken McCallum has warned that it is "not realistic to expect to be able wholly to eliminate each and every potential risk” linked to the new embassy.

Raising concerns over the security threat posed by China, Sir Ken McCallum warned of the risks in a joint letter to the Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary alongside GCHQ’s director.

Last week, An intelligence expert told LBC that the plans were ‘completely mad’.

Sir Ken and Anne Keast-Butler wrote: “MI5 has over 100 years of experience managing national security risks associated with foreign diplomatic premises in London."

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“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.)

“However, the collective work across UK intelligence agencies and HMG departments to formulate a package of national security mitigations for the site has been, in our view, expert, professional and proportionate.”

Downing Street hopes the embassy will pave the way for new trade deals with Beijing.

It comes as MP Alex Sobel told Steve Holden on LBC News that the approval has resulted in a "whole load of unanswered questions".

Raising questions over whether British construction companies would be involved in the build, he added: "are we going to know what installations will be put into that basement in terms of potential for espionage?"

It comes as British security services warned of the risks posed by the new embassy, close to the data cables linking the City of London to Canary Wharf, was manageable. It is understood they prefer to have the Chinese embassy at one location, rather than the current situation of several sites across London.

Darren Jones said the Government would “never put our national security at risk” and it was “helpful” to consolidate seven Chinese diplomatic buildings in one.

In their letter to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, MI5 director general Sir Ken McCallum and GCHQ director Anne Keast-Butler also wrote: “As detailed in classified briefings given to the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament, the package of mitigations deals acceptably with a wide range of sensitive national security issues, including cabling.

“These mitigations will be subject to regular review through a cross-government process, led at senior level in the Home Office.

“Further, it is worth reiterating the new embassy will replace seven different diplomatically-accredited sites across London which China currently operates; this consolidation should bring clear security advantages.”

It comes as residents living close to the location of China’s new embassy have vowed to continue to challenge the Government’s approval of the plans.

The decision to grant the new Chinese embassy planning permission “represents a serious threat to national security”, Reform UK has said.

A Reform spokesman said: “The decision to allow the Chinese to build a super-embassy with its secret network of underground rooms so close to some of the UK’s most sensitive communications cables represents a serious threat to national security.

“Having failed to revive our economy, this is a desperate attempt by the Labour Government to cosy up to the Chinese Communist Party. A Reform government would never have approved this in the first place.”

Anthony Glees, a professor of intelligence and security at the University of Buckingham said 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.

Local Government Secretary Steve Reed approved the plans for the building at Royal Mint Court.

The decision removes a diplomatic hurdle in the relationship with Xi Jinping's government, clearing the way for Sir Keir Starmer to make a widely-expected visit to China - possibly within weeks.

But critics of the scheme plan to challenge the decision in the courts, with local residents raising money to launch a judicial review against the project.

Professor Glees told LBC: “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.”

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 application was first submitted by China in 2018 and was subjected to repeated delays.

After planning permission was initially rejected by Tower Hamlets Council, Sir Keir Starmer “called in” the decision to be assessed by ministers at the request of Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, in 2024.

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.

Luke de Pulford, head of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, said: "Years of campaigning about the obvious and manifold risks posed by this embassy development have not been enough to outweigh the UK Government's desire for Beijing's money."

The decision comes despite a call from MPs and peers on the Labour-led Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy to reject the plans, warning the embassy - the biggest in Europe - would "create a hub for expanded intelligence-gathering and intimidation operations".

A Government spokesperson said: "This planning decision has been taken independently by the Secretary of State for Housing. This follows a process that began in 2018 when the then Foreign Secretary provided formal diplomatic consent for the site.

"More broadly, countries establishing embassies in other countries' capitals is a normal part of international relations.

"National security is our first duty. Intelligence agencies have been involved throughout the process and an extensive range of measures have been developed to manage any risks.

"Following extensive negotiations in recent months, the Chinese Government has agreed to consolidate its seven current sites in London into one site, bringing clear security advantages."