Britain’s China embassy mistake

I try not to be unnecessarily harsh on the prime minister. Whether I like it or not, he is the one in office, and I believe in giving any leader a fair hearing. But approving China’s giant new embassy in London would be the biggest national security mistake made by a British government in a generation. It is so reckless, so strategically absurd, that it feels almost unreal.

Beijing’s proposed “mega embassy” at the Royal Mint site is not routine diplomacy. It is not some harmless upgrade of China–UK relations. It is a vast, fortified complex that would become China’s largest embassy in Europe, sitting directly above some of the most sensitive communications cables and critical national infrastructure in the country. And unbelievably, the UK is preparing to say yes.

China is a threat – pretending otherwise is dangerous

We need to stop dancing around it: China is a national security threat to the United Kingdom. That is not paranoia or Cold War nostalgia. It is the documented reality. MI5 has warned MPs that Chinese intelligence services are actively targeting Parliament. British researchers, tech firms, and defence supply chains have already been infiltrated. Beijing runs the largest state-backed espionage operation on the planet.

And now we are contemplating giving China the perfect location for its biggest spying hub in Europe, in the centre of London, positioned directly above major UK data links. How can anyone call this sensible strategic policy?

A mega embassy or a mega spying base?

Security experts, former intelligence chiefs, and MPs have all warned that this proposed embassy will inevitably function as an intelligence base. Beijing does not pour resources into mega embassies for cultural programmes. It does so to expand its intelligence footprint, influence politics, monitor financial flows, track dissidents and diaspora groups, and gain access to infrastructure it should never be near. Every metre of that site is a gift to the Chinese Communist Party. And yet, incredibly, Downing Street appears poised to approve it.

War is coming and Britain will have to choose

We must stop pretending that the world is calm. It is not. China will invade Taiwan. Perhaps not tomorrow, but soon enough that every Western intelligence agency is preparing for the consequences. When that moment comes, Britain will have no choice but to pick a side. There will be no neutrality between a democratic ally and an authoritarian superpower intent on expansion.

So what happens when Britain inevitably clashes with China while hosting the largest Chinese embassy in Europe, built above vital UK communications cables and operating as Beijing’s prime intelligence vantage point? It is madness. It is strategic lunacy. It is a self-inflicted wound waiting to happen.

The “diplomatic compromise” argument is delusional

Some claim the UK should approve the embassy because “both sides need one.” Former MI6 chief Sir Richard Moore has spoken about compromise. But compromise requires equality, and there is none here. Britain cannot build an equivalent mega embassy in Beijing overlooking sensitive Chinese infrastructure. China would never allow it. They delay our plans, refuse approvals, and block upgrades.

Yet Britain appears ready to roll out the red carpet for a Chinese super-embassy positioned on top of national infrastructure. This is not diplomacy. It is strategic naivety bordering on dangerous.

Prime minister, this is your red line

I genuinely believe Keir Starmer wants to protect the country. I do not think he intends to put the UK at risk. But intention does not matter. Outcomes do. Approving this embassy would be the biggest foreign policy error of his premiership, and its consequences will last for decades.

This is not about trade, symbolism, or polite diplomacy. It is about whether the UK hands its biggest geopolitical rival a purpose-built intelligence platform in the heart of London. It is about whether Britain understands the world we now inhabit – one defined by cyber warfare, espionage, geopolitical aggression, and the return of great-power conflict.

Britain cannot afford to be naïve

We are entering an era of confrontation between democracies and authoritarian regimes. Europe is vulnerable. The United States is unpredictable. Stability is no longer guaranteed. If the UK approves this mega embassy, we will one day look back on it as the moment we let our guard down, ignored the warnings, and prioritised trade fantasies over national safety. It will be the moment Britain proved it still does not grasp China’s long-term strategy.

Prime minister, do not make this mistake. Do not allow the largest Chinese embassy in Europe to be built on top of Britain’s national infrastructure. Some political errors are recoverable. This one is not.