The government has again delayed making a decision on whether the Chinese super embassy can go ahead.
New Housing Secretary Steve Reed was due to approve or deny Beijing’s application for a 600,000 sq ft embassy near the Tower of London next Tuesday.
However, the decision has been delayed to 10 December, a government spokesman has said.
He added that the new deadline is “not legally binding”.
A decision had already been delayed from 9 September after China submitted plans with large greyed-out sections, which said: “Redacted for security reasons.”
It has become controversial due to concerns about it being turned into a Chinese spy hub for Europe and the fact highly sensitive financial cables run beneath it to the City of London and Canary Wharf.
Tower Hamlets Council rejected China’s initial planning application in 2022 to turn Royal Mint Court, where British coins were minted until 1975, into the largest embassy in Europe over security concerns and opposition from residents.
Beijing did not appeal the decision after making it clear it wanted Conservative ministers to give assurances they would back a resubmitted application – but the then-Tory government refused.
Eleven days after Labour won the election last July, the application was resubmitted in nearly exactly the same form, and was soon “called in” by Ms Rayner for central government to decide.
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