Overview
- Unredacted blueprints published by The Daily Telegraph describe 208 underground rooms and a concealed chamber positioned a few feet from fibre‑optic cables carrying financial and internet traffic.
- Labour and Conservative MPs urged rejection, warning of espionage risks and potential intimidation of dissidents, with figures such as Sarah Champion and Alicia Kearns pressing ministers for answers.
- The government says national security experts have been involved throughout and that all risks have been addressed, while arguing that consolidating China’s scattered sites on one campus offers oversight advantages.
- US officials have voiced concern that the site’s proximity to critical infrastructure could threaten data security and strain intelligence-sharing with allies.
- China bought the Royal Mint Court site in 2018 to consolidate multiple premises, and the new complex would be its largest mission in Europe, with approval widely reported to be planned ahead of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s trip to Beijing.