White House 'deeply concerned' as it urges Starmer to block plans for Chinese 'super-embassy' in London

Plans were originally blocked by the previous government after British intelligence raised the alarm over espionage concerns, with the proposed site near London's financial district.

Now, a senior US official said has echoed those fears after plans for the embassy were revived.

They concern the complex at Royal Mint Court's proximity to a sensitive hub of critical communication cables, which critics of the plan say could be vulnerable to attack.

The prospective site in East Smithfield sits directly between financial hubs in the City and Canary Wharf, near three major data centres.

“The United States is deeply concerned about providing China with potential access to the sensitive communications of one of our closest allies,” the US source told The Sunday Times.

Read more: Experts warn of cyber risk over China's 'super embassy' in London

Read more: China’s proposed ‘super embassy poses super risk’ to security, Tories claim

Local residents, human rights campaigners and as well as a string of Conservative politicians are all against the fresh plans.

Housing minister Angela Rayner reportedly called in the decision to revise the project last year, while ministers are set to make the final call on whether to press ahead with the controversial embassy.

Responding to critics, Peter Kyle MP Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology told LBC's Lewis Goodall on Sunday that Britain is very used to dealing with these security issues.

He said: “The security issues that are posed by diplomatic activity, legitimate diplomatic activity in our country is something that we are very used to dealing with.

“Now, China wants to move its embassy here, just like we want to move our embassy in Beijing, that poses specific challenges for which we are dealing with.

“I can reassure your listeners that these are issues that our intelligence, our enforcement, our agencies across government are very, very used to dealing with and are doing so in a very assiduous way.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping is reported to have personally lobbied No 10 for the Royal Mint Court site.

The Conservative Party last month unveiled concerns raised by Innovate UK, experts on cyber-physical infrastructure.

The warning was contained in an exchange, revealed under transparency laws from October 2024, which were sent to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

The Telegraph reported that a senior figure from Innovate UK, whose name is redacted in the published correspondence, sent an email in a personal capacity urging the department to intervene in the decision over whether to approve the plans for the embassy.

Experts warned the local authority “is woefully unprepared to handle an application of this nature”, particularly as it has a national security perspective.“

The Embassy Plan conflicts with the Integrated Review of Defence and Foreign Policy 2021, Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021, Electronic Communications (Security) Measures Regulations 2022,” the expert reportedly wrote.

Two years earlier, the same expert warned the embassy could have “significant effects beyond their immediate locality.”