Tower Hamlets<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2257560256...jpeg\")
The Royal Mint Court Residents\u2019 Association (RMCRA) has previously voiced significant concerns, arguing that the embassy could become a focal point for terrorist attacks or the suppression of protests. (Getty)<\/p>\n
The association, which represents families and businesses in about 100 properties, was also concerned about the Chinese government creating a fire risk by ignoring safety obligations, which it said would not be enforceable because of diplomatic immunity.<\/p>\n
The Government and the council defended the claim, saying they \u201cconscientiously and carefully had regard\u201d to the residents\u2019 concerns.<\/p>\n
Following a hearing at the High Court earlier this month, two judges dismissed RMCRA\u2019s challenge.<\/p>\n
Critics of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) said the legal fight would continue against the planned national embassy to avoid the UK\u2019s capital becoming a \u201cpower centre\u201d for Beijing.<\/p>\n
Luke de Pulford, executive director of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, said: \u201cBeijing thinks this judgment is the final word. It isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe appeal is already in the works.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf they expect us to roll over and allow our own capital to become a CCP power centre, they have completely misjudged the strength of opposition to this mega-embassy.\u201d<\/p>\n
The RMCRA\u2019s claim that the planning decision had been made unlawfully, that there was a failure to disclose a blast assessment and security statement, that the Government had not followed planning regulations and that it had not identified and assessed human rights was rejected by the judges.<\/p>\n
Mrs Justice Lieven, sitting with Lord Justice Dingemans, said in a judgment on Friday there was \u201cno doubt\u201d the Government took into account that it was the Chinese government applying for planning permission.<\/p>\n
![\"Sir](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2287724789...jpeg\")
Sir Iain Duncan Smith said he intends to speak to the new Prime Minister about the UK\u2019s policy on China. (Getty)<\/p>\n
She also said that the RMCRA was not disadvantaged by not receiving a copy of a \u201cblast assessment\u201d at the time of the planning decision, which detailed the effect of a possible terrorist explosion.<\/p>\n
The judge said: \u201cThere was no unfairness to the claimant by reason of these documents not having been disclosed.\u201d<\/p>\n
She went on to say that \u201cthere is no obviously material additional fire risk\u201d.<\/p>\n
Following the judgment, the opponents said they believe the likelihood of success in the higher courts will be greater.<\/p>\n
Leigh Day partner Ricardo Gama, representing local residents, said: \u201cThe hope is that having a panel of Court of Appeal judges will mean that we have a braver panel that is willing to make what will be a controversial decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dave Lake of the RMCRA said: \u201cThey might have the billions, but we are in for the long haul and will be seeking to win permission for an appeal.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe live here. This is our home and a rubber-stamp decision doesn\u2019t change the fact that a fortress doesn\u2019t belong in our community.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf they think this is the end of the road, they\u2019re going to discover that they are wrong. We fight on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel warned \u201cBritain\u2019s national security is set to be compromised by a new Chinese super embassy spy hub\u201d.<\/p>\n
She added: \u201cThe court\u2019s decision is a clear test for Andy Burnham.<\/p>\n
![\"Dame](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/9189b2401b061fa5df9ba51e478a6970Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzc4MjU3ODcx-2.81915713.jpg\")
Dame Priti Patel said: \u201cBritain\u2019s national security is set to be compromised by a new Chinese super embassy spy hub\u201d. (PA Archive)<\/p>\n
\u201cWill he put our country\u2019s interests first, stand up to Beijing, protect our national security and do the right thing by ditching this dreadful plan \u2013 a legacy of the failed (Sir Keir) Starmer years?\u201d<\/p>\n
Conservative former leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said he intends to speak to the new Prime Minister about the UK\u2019s policy on China.<\/p>\n
He told reporters at a press conference in Westminster: \u201cI think it\u2019s important for Britain to recognise that actually doing business with China is very difficult, very dangerous, and comes with all sorts of problems.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will be speaking to him and this newly reshuffled Cabinet in the hope that they will understand that the price we pay when we kowtow to China is in human lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cMillions are dying, and the transnational repression today in Britain will only increase if this embassy is agreed to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark Nygate, treasurer of the RMCRA, told reporters this is \u201ca battle that is too important to give up\u201d, adding: \u201cIt isn\u2019t just the David Goliath battle. It\u2019s David versus two Goliaths.\u201d<\/p>\n
An MHCLG spokesperson said: \u201cWe acknowledge the judgment. The challenge against the Secretary of State\u2019s decision to approve planning permission and listed building consent for a new Chinese embassy was unsuccessful.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the case may still be subject to litigation, it would not be appropriate to comment further.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1122222,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[7757],"tags":[748,22228,47671,393,4884,44888,173458,184063,257,48279,2249,285,20885,53262,16,15,305558],"class_list":["post-1122221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-london","tag-britain","tag-central-london","tag-color-image","tag-england","tag-great-britain","tag-horizontal","tag-iain-duncan-smith","tag-international-landmark","tag-london","tag-london-england","tag-photography","tag-politics","tag-politics-and-government","tag-talking","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-victoria-tower"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/117014926488792440","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1122221","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1122221"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1122221\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1122222"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1122221"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1122221"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1122221"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}