Angela Rayner has upped the pressure on China over its controversial “mega-embassy” project in London after several blueprints were “greyed out”.
The Deputy Prime Minister has asked Beijing to explain why it has redacted drawings of a basement and other areas in the proposed building near the capital’s financial district.
As Housing Secretary, Ms Rayner is tasked with deciding whether the complex in the Royal Mint Court can go ahead.
She has given Chinese officials a fortnight to explain why certain parts of its floor plans have been omitted and to “identify precisely and comprehensively” sections that have been withheld, The Financial Times reports.
These include a proposed basement “master plan”, which contains two suites of rooms, as well as an underground tunnel.
It goes on to ask for representations on whether Ms Rayner can reach a “lawful determination” on planning permission on the basis of the current plans.
Her letter, sent on Wednesday, was also addressed to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Foreign Secretary David Lammy, as well as Tower Hamlets Borough Council and the Metropolitan Police.
The demands are set out in an update from her department sent to DP9, the consultancy firm representing the Chinese embassy.
If approved, the building in East Smithfield will be the biggest embassy in Europe, covering 20,000 square meters.
It lies directly between the City of London and Canary Wharf and close to three significant data centres.
However, construction of the embassy was blocked by local councillors three years ago amid espionage fears from local residents, as well as human rights campaigners and politicians.
The Planning Inspectorate has reportedly given the development the green light, with Ms Rayner ordered to make a final decision by next month.
It is understood that US President Donald Trump has also warned Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer against giving the embassy the go-ahead.
John Moolenaar, a Republican congressman from Michigan and head of the House of Representatives' China committee, claimed the site would “pose an unacceptable risk” to both London and Washington.
China’s President Xi Jinping is said to have personally lobbied No 10 for the project, which will cost around £100 million to construct.
It is also believed Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi brought up the matter with Foreign Secretary David Lammy while visiting the capital last year.
But former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said it would be “inappropriate” to approve the application.
Luke de Pulford, Director of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, hopes the Government had “seen the light” and would put a stop to the plans.
He told The Daily Telegraph: “This development is a disaster for national security, residents, and UK interests. It should never have got this far.
“I can’t see how Beijing is going to meet the Secretary of State’s conditions. So, either a deal has already been done – and the Government is trying to look tough – or they’ve genuinely seen the light. After a long, hard fight, we’re certainly hoping the latter.”
Meanwhile, Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said he would support a judicial review into the decision if the plans were approved.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government declined to comment.
In response to previous reports of “spy dungeons”, a Chinese embassy spokesman said: “Anti-China elements are always keen on slandering and attacking China.”
