China super-embassy approval 'could be unlawful if promised in advance'

Approving a Chinese super-embassy in east London could be unlawful if ministers gave Beijing assurances about the project in advance, one of the UK's top planning lawyers has concluded.

- Eleni Courea

If Keir Starmer or his team made promises to the Chinese government about the embassy, it could constitute “actual or apparent predetermination” of the planning application, according to the legal opinion by Lord Banner.

The opinion was commissioned by a group of residents opposed to the proposed Chinese embassy near Tower Bridge, which has attracted fierce opposition because of security, human rights and planning concerns.

Ministers are now under pressure to clarify whether they had privately assured Chinese officials they would progress the application after it had stalled under the Conservative government.

China reapplied for planning permission weeks after Labour took power last year, and Xi Jinping raised the matter directly with Starmer in their first call in August 2024.