China’s UK Mega Embassy Plan Triggers Opposition Protests Over Espionage Fears As Deadline Nears

Last Updated:January 18, 2026, 16:49 IST

Kemi Badenoch and opposition leaders urge the government to reject China’s mega-embassy plans in London, citing security risks and harassment, as the deadline nears.

Thousands turned out to protest the proposed Chinese mega-embassy in London, incl prominent politicians like Kemi Badenoch & Iain Duncan Smith. (Hong Kong Democracy Council/X)

As protests against China’s proposed new embassy in London intensified, Britain’s key opposition leader has joined the protesters days before the deadline for the government to take its final decision on the project.

Associated Press quoted Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch urging the Labour Party government to reject the plans. She said the Chinese government had “harassed and sanctioned" members of Parliament and “abused British nationals connected to China".

“We know that we have to stand up to the abuses of China. And what worries me is that we have a government right now that seems to be scared of China," she told hundreds of demonstrators who gathered at the site, chanting, “No China mega-embassy." Leaders of several opposition parties also addressed the rally.

According to AP, the government has set a deadline of Tuesday to decide whether to approve plans for the largest Chinese embassy in Europe on the former site of the Royal Mint, near Tower Bridge.

China’s plans to build a new embassy on the site of a two-century-old building have stalled because of opposition from local residents, lawmakers and Hong Kong pro-democracy campaigners in Britain.

China has claimed that there has been a seven-year delay by the UK in approving the project and said the country was “constantly complicating and politicising the matter".

While emphasising that protecting national security is nonnegotiable, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said they need to continue the diplomatic dialogue and cooperation with the Asian superpower.

According to AP, approving the embassy would pave the way for a long-anticipated trip by Starmer to China and an expansion of the UK Embassy in Beijing.

However, the opponents have argued that the 20,000-square-metre Chinese Embassy complex, near London’s financial district and close to crucial data cables, will be used as a base for espionage and for the surveillance and intimidation of Chinese dissidents in exile.

Last year, Britain’s intelligence and security services had issued a series of warnings about Chinese espionage activity. In November, the MI5 domestic intelligence agency issued an alert to lawmakers warning that Chinese agents were making “targeted and widespread" efforts to recruit and cultivate them using LinkedIn or cover companies.

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