With TV cameras rolling, he noted Xi had raised the embassy in an earlier call and reassured him that his government had “taken action” by “calling in” its embassy application.
The decision means a national planning inspector will now hold a public inquiry into the scheme, but Communities Secretary Angela Rayner will make the final decision.
Governments can “call in” developments on various grounds, including issues going beyond “local importance” and impacting other governments or national security.
“SHOCKED”
Despite Starmer also telling Xi that “we have to follow the legal process and timeline”, the intervention has unnerved opponents of the new embassy.
“I was a bit shocked,” said exiled Hong Kong dissident Simon Cheng, who lives near the proposed embassy.
“I knew that China’s … plans would be quite important (in bilateral relations). I hadn’t ever thought that it would be escalated to the top level.”
He worries Starmer’s emphasis on economic growth, and improved China ties, could trump other considerations.
A former British consulate staffer in Hong Kong granted UK asylum after allegedly being tortured by Chinese secret police, Cheng also fears “massive surveillance” at the new site.
Housing the Royal Mint – the official maker of British coins – for nearly two centuries, it was earlier home to a 1348-built Cistercian abbey but is currently derelict.
Beijing bought the site for a reported US$327 million in 2018.
