Sir Keir Starmer is set to approve plans for the Chinese government to build a brand new ‘super-embassy’ in London with the full backing of MI5 and MI6, according to a UK media outlet.
The Prime Minister is set to green light the plan and become the first PM to visit China since 2018, reports The Times.
This comes as US officials have been reportedly pressuring the UK government to put the stop the development due to spy scares.
A White House source told the Sunday Times in June that Trump and the US were concerned about the project.
They said: “The United States is deeply concerned about providing China with potential access to the sensitive communications of one of our closest allies.”
(Image: PA)
Despite warnings from overseas, the MI5 is reportedly “very relaxed” about plans for the new ‘super-embassy’ being constructed at Royal Mint Court near Tower Bridge.
According to The Guardian, a meeting took place with Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle over the summer and Security Service figures indicated they were “very relaxed” about the proposal.
Conservative Kevin Hollinrake had previously raised his concerns about the project. He told the Sun: “Ministers have deliberately stuck their heads in the sand over the clear national security threat posed by this mega-embassy.
“First, they ignored secret plans for an underground facility. Now they’re effectively giving the Chinese Communist Party a green light to construct spy infrastructure or even sinister detention facilities.
“The Government must reject this planning application, just as Ireland and Australia have done with CCP spy hubs.”
With the new embassy plans looking more likely, the PM is looking to travel to China in January, according to Sky News.
Should he travel to Beijing in the New Year, he will become the first UK prime minister to visit China since Theresa May in 2018.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.