Downing Street has hit back at China after Beijing threatened there would be “consequences” over delays to its plans to build a mega-embassy in London.
No 10 rejected Chinese claims it was failing to “honour its commitments” by delaying a decision on permission for the building, which comes in the wake of an extraordinary row over the collapse of a spy trial which has seen a rapid deterioration in relations between London and Beijing.
Hours after the head of MI5 revealed on Thursday that Britain had thwarted an attack from China just this week, as he issued a stark warning over the daily threat to the UK posed by Beijing, housing secretary Steve Reed pushed back the deadline for making the decision on planning permission, which had been due next week, to 10 December.
The move brought condemnation from the Chinese government, with a spokesman for Beijing’s ministry of foreign affairs threatening “consequences”.
On Friday, spokesman Lin Jian said China had shown “utmost sincerity and patience” over the decision, while accusing the UK of lacking “the spirit of contract, credibility and ethics” while “complicating and politicising the matter”.
He added: “That goes entirely against the UK’s commitments and previous remarks about improving China-UK relations.
“We once again call on the UK to fulfil its obligation and honour its commitments at once, otherwise the consequences arising therefrom shall be borne by the UK side.”
But Downing Street pushed back, with a spokesman saying the UK did not “recognise any claims of commitments or assurances” over the embassy.
Mr Reed had been urged to reject Beijing’s application for a new embassy at the former Royal Mint, near the Tower of London, by parliament’s powerful Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy.
Committee chairman Matt Western said approving the plans was “not in the UK’s long-term interest” and claimed the site posed spying risks due to its proximity to communications networks and data centres.
He also noted reports of plans for basement rooms and tunnels and that the security services have warned that allowing China to set up the largest embassy in Europe would create a hub to expand its “intelligence-gathering and intimidation operations”.
The row, which comes amid continued questions over how the case against two alleged Chinese spies collapsed, adds to the Government’s woes as it attempts to thaw relations with Beijing.
Amid growing pressure over what his government knew and when, and questions over whether it had done enough to prevent the case’s collapse. Keir Starmer was forced to publish bombshell witness statements which repeatedly described China as a threat.
The evidence revealed extraordinary new details about the allegations – including that one alleged China spy told another: “You’re in spy territory now”, and that information was leaked to China about the Tory leadership race. Both of the accused deny the allegations.
A furious political row erupted after prosecutors dropped the case, deeming the evidence did not show China was a threat to national security.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the row shows Sir Keir Starmer was “not looking after national security enough”.
She said: “What the prime minister needs to do is show some backbone. He is being weak, kowtowing to China.”
