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Britain’s Foreign and Home Secretary have intervened in China’s planning application for a massive new embassy in London, signaling their support as they set out terms for the proposed site.

In a joint letter to England’s Planning Inspectorate on Tuesday, David Lammy and Yvette Cooper stressed “the importance of having effective diplomatic buildings in other countries’ capitals”.

The intervention came after Rachel Reeves visited Beijing and Shanghai last week to boost economic ties, the first such trip by a British advisor to the Chinese mainland since 2017. China last year.

Lammy and Cooper revealed in the letter that the Metropolitan Police had “withdrew its objection” to Beijing’s proposal to build a diplomatic complex at the Royal Mint, near the outskirts of the City of London.

“In general, the Metropolitan Police’s public order experts are satisfied that there is sufficient space for future protests without significantly impacting the nearby road network,” the two senior government ministers said in the letter, seen by the Financial Times.

But ministers also called on China to agree to change “a small element of the design” and give up diplomatic accreditation for seven other buildings spread across London.

They said Housing Minister Angela Rayner, who will decide whether the embassy will be approved, “should not make a decision on this application until a firm plan on strengthening Chinese diplomatic buildings is agreed.”

The Chinese government confirmed its desire to establish the new embassy, ​​which would be China’s largest diplomatic mission in Europe, in discussions with London after its initial attempt to gain planning permission was blocked by a local council in 2022.

Chinese President Xi Jinping raised the matter directly with British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, after Beijing launched a new request last summer. The local authority in Tower Hamlets had previously refused to approve the proposal for security reasons and because of its impact on local residents.

The new complex will occupy more than 20,000 square meters of land and far exceed the size of China’s current embassy in Marylebone, which was built on an 830 square meter plot of land.

Lammy and Cooper’s letter acknowledged that the Metropolitan Police had “previously raised concerns about the capacity of the site to accommodate protests” and that “there remain differences of opinion about where protests are most likely to congregate”.

The letter called for plans for “unregulated public access” to the Cistercian ruins within the complex to be removed, arguing that the site’s diplomatic status could delay the authorities’ response to a security incident or health emergency, which would need permission to enter.

Instead, Lammy and Cooper said a tight perimeter of the area was needed, with “controlled public access from time to time” negotiated between the Chinese embassy and the relevant British authorities.

The Financial Times revealed in October that Reiner was He has been contacted The decision, taking it out of the hands of Tower Hamlets Council, and last month Chinese state companies had done so Submissions entered To support the application submitted to the government.

Rainer will decide whether to approve the embassy after receiving a recommendation from the planning inspector. The UK is also seeking to rebuild its embassy in China, which requires Beijing’s approval.

“The mask has fallen and it is now painfully clear that the government is scrambling to endorse the Chinese programme,” said Luke de Pulford, executive director of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (Ipac), a cross-party group of lawmakers concerned about Beijing. Demand, under pressure from Beijing.

“National security concerns alone should be enough to put an end to this, but the collective will of the local council and residents is also important.”

The UK Labor administration said it was taking a “three Ps” approach to Beijing, pledging to cooperate on global issues, such as climate and health, challenge topics such as human rights, and compete where appropriate.

A UK Government spokesman said: “National security is the government’s first duty. It has been our main priority throughout this process.

“That is why the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Home Office have provided written statements to reflect these considerations and to signal the importance of all countries having effective diplomatic premises in each other’s capitals.”

The Metropolitan Police and the Chinese Embassy in London did not immediately respond to requests for comment.