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A Labour MP has issued a warning to Sir Keir Starmer as he helps lead protests against the government giving the greenlight to a controversial new Chinese embassy in London.
East Renfrewshire MP Blair McDougall, a member of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, will join other MPs including former security minister Tom Tugendhat and shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick in a protest today against the proposed new building.
It comes amid growing concerns over attempts by Sir Keir’s government to build relations with China at a time when the new Donald Trump administration in the US is on the cusp of a trade war with the Communist country.
But of greater worry is human rights abuses in China, including persecution of the Uyghur population and the way that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has abandoned large aspects of its deal with the UK over guarantees for free speech in Hong Kong. This includes businessman Jimmy Lai, 77, who recently passed his 1,500th day imprisoned in Hong Kong on politically motivated charges.
Mr McDougall said: “We have to have red lines in our relations with Beijing. Currently Jimmy Lai, a British citizen, is in prison for exercising the rights that are guaranteed under the agreement between the UK and China. We should not be doing any favours for Beijing while they are in breach of past deals.”
The previous Tory government had blocked the new Chinese embassy proposed for Royal Mint Court in London on security grounds, with objections coming from the Metropolitan Police and security services.
But following chancellor Rachel Reeves’ controversial trip to China last month, it is understood that the government has asked for objections to be withdrawn to allow the development to go ahead.
The CCP wants to turn 20,000 sq metres (2 hectares) of land at Royal Mint Court into Europe’s largest embassy building. After China bought the site in 2018, Tower Hamlets council refused it planning permission in 2022 due to a range of concerns, including the impact of large protests at the site. The Tory government declined to reconsider the plan.
However, president Xi Jinping’s government resubmitted the application once Labour came to power last July. The new government called it in for review after Xi Jinping, raised it directly Starmer. Cabinet ministers Yvette Cooper and David Lammy have signalled their support for the proposal. A inquiry is due to begin into the proposal next week.
Mark Nygate, the treasurer of the Royal Mint Court Residents Association, said: “We’re all unhappy with the way the government has gone about this process – it seems to have got involved and not allowed the inspector to do her bit.
“They called for a public inquiry, appointed an inspector – and next thing you’ve got David Lammy and Yvette Cooper writing a letter to the council saying they would approve the scheme based on a couple of changes to the plan … But the damage that would be caused to my block and the estate is huge.”
