Well, well, well. Just days after MI5 alerted MPs and peers to Chinese espionage threats, it appears that Prime Minister Keir Starmer could be ready to give a Chinese embassy in London the green light. According to the Times, two Whitehall departments will submit their responses to the proposals in the next few days, ahead of the decision being made on 10 December. Despite warnings from intelligence chiefs about spying, and concerns about cables beneath the site connecting to the City of London, neither the Home Office nor the Foreign Office are expected to object – as long as the right ‘mitigations’ are in place.
The decision follows the collapse of the China spy case, in which two men accused of passing intelligence to the Chinese – Chris Cash and Christopher Berry – walked away after it was decided there was insufficient evidence to prosecute. Both deny the charges against them. The development sparked outrage across parliament, with serious questions raised about the role the national security adviser, the government and the Crown Prosecution Service played. Even Tory leader Kemi Badenoch came under fire during an evidence session with the committee on national security strategy. Attorney General Lord Hermer pointed to the fact she said in 2023 that China should not be described as a ‘foe’ but a ‘challenge’ instead – which could have helped the two accused men walk free had the case gone to trial. Oh dear…
Earlier this week fresh warnings emerged about Chinese espionage, with MI5 warning those working in parliament that Chinese intelligence officials were trying to recruit people with access to sensitive information. But despite all this, Sir Keir appears keen to build stronger economic ties with China – with Sky News reporting that the PM is planning to travel to China in early 2026. This would make him the first prime minister to visit since Theresa May in 2018. Speaking about the matter, Science Secretary Liz Kendall remarked:
We are clear-eyed about our relationship with China and national security will always come first. That is absolutely non-negotiable. But where we can work safely with China, whether that’s on the economy or areas like research, that’s what we’ll do.
Not everyone will see the upside of better relations with Beijing, however. Don’t expect the China hawks to stay silent…
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