British spies were ‘gagged’ from raising objections to a new Chinese embassy in east London, documents suggest.
The revelations about the proposed embassy – dubbed a ‘spy campus’ – are likely to increase concerns about the development on the site of the Royal Mint buildings near the Tower of London.
A final decision on whether to approve the plan, revived by No 10 despite being blocked by the previous government after warnings from MI5 and Scotland Yard in 2022, has been deferred while the row about the collapsed Chinese spy trial continues.
Now unearthed documents show inspectors were denied access to key secret documents by Labour when approving the ‘mega embassy’ which will be ‘crawling with spies’.
The documents include a critical assessment from security services – the contents of which have been redacted.
Ministers refused to allow a private inquiry, which would have allowed secret evidence to be considered.
Critics have accused ministers of trying to ram the application through and shut down any dissent or security concerns which might jeopardise it.
Officials in the Communities Department, which is handling the planning case, are preparing to announce the October 21 deadline will be pushed back.
The department declined to comment.
Hellbound and Down 