Croydon MP's warning over Chinese embassy

CROYDON South MP Chris Philp has warned giving permission to a new Chinese ‘super embassy’ being built near London’s financial centres will be a ‘security risk’ as it is ‘very likely the Chinese would use it to organise espionage activities.

- By RHIANNON JAMES, RICHARD WHEELER & HARRY TAYLOR

There are reports the White House has alerted Downing Street against allowing the embassy to be built near the City of London.

More than a thousand demonstrators took to the streets of central London earlier this year to protest against the proposed embassy.

Ministers are expected to make a final decision on the redevelopment plans at the historic former site of the Royal Mint, after it was rejected by the local council, Tower Hamlets.

When Mr Philp, who is the Conservative's shadow home secretary, was asked for his opinion on the USA's reported remarks on Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips on Sky News on Sunday, June 8 he said: “Well, I agree with the United States. We think it is a security risk.

“In government the Conservatives were very clear, we should not be allowing the Chinese to build this super-embassy.

“It is likely to become a base for their pan-European espionage activities and it sits very close to, of course, the UK's financial centre, it's very close to three critical data centres... data cables connecting for example Canary Wharf to the City, run very close or indeed even underneath the site, and it is very likely the Chinese would use it to organise espionage activities.

“We've seen the Chinese government cracking down on dissidents, running secret police stations in the UK, even putting bounties on the heads of dissidents, some of whom I've met. We should not be giving permission to this.”