Fury as Chinese state security will check visitors’ passports at British site

Chinese state security personnel have been granted permission to conduct passport checks on visitors to the ruins of St Mary Graces, a 14th-century Cistercian abbey in London‘s financial district, prompting outrage among security experts and politicians. The checks, likened to airport-style screenings, will target tourists and locals seeking to explore the ancient British heritage site, which was endowed by King Edward III in 1350.

The abbey ruins, preserved as a scheduled ancient monument, lie within the footprint of Beijing‘s controversial proposed “super-embassy” on the former site of the Royal Mint in the City of London. Foreign Office and Home Office officials approved the security measures to facilitate the embassy’s construction, which would house over 200 diplomats and intelligence officers, making it the largest diplomatic mission in Europe.

The development occupies what was once a Barclays trading floor and sits perilously close to sensitive infrastructure, including a tunnel carrying fibre optic cables under the Thames since 1985.

This extraordinary concession comes amid escalating tensions over the project, which critics allege was fast-tracked through a secret deal struck by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer with Beijing.

The planning application, paused under the previous Conservative government due to vehement opposition from MI5 and MI6, was revived shortly after Labour’s July 2024 election victory.

A final decision is expected on December 10, following the Bank of England’s previous warning about the national security risks posed by the site’s proximity to the UK’s financial nerve centre.

Luke de Pulford, executive director of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, decried the arrangement as a dangerous precedent.

He told The Mail on Sunday: “Legally speaking, Edward III’s foundation would be in China, and unsafe for anyone critical of the Chinese regime to visit.”

De Pulford’s group, comprising lawmakers from multiple nations, has long campaigned against Beijing’s global influence operations, arguing the passport checks effectively extend Chinese sovereignty onto British soil.

The backlash intensified from across the political spectrum.

Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith labelled it “yet another example of the Labour Government caving into China’s bribery, blackmail, and bullying”.

He added: “It is a grotesque compromise, which exposes the supine and pathetic attitude this once proud country has adopted towards China.”

The embassy push gained momentum during Chancellor Rachel Reeves‘ January visit to China, where President Xi Jinping raised the issue directly amid discussions on trade deals aimed at addressing the UK’s £30 billion public finance shortfall.

Detractors, including security analysts, accuse Reeves of prioritising economic relief over safeguards, potentially compromising intelligence-gathering capabilities and exposing visitors to Beijing’s surveillance apparatus.

Intelligence sources have flagged the site’s strategic value: its elevation offers line-of-sight views over the Square Mile, home to the London Stock Exchange and global banking hubs.

A 2023 government assessment deemed the location “high risk” for espionage, yet officials now defend the passport protocol as a “necessary interim measure” to balance heritage access with diplomatic needs.

The Foreign Office declined to comment on operational details, citing ongoing sensitivities.

This episode underscores deepening rifts in UK-China relations, strained by allegations of cyber threats, human rights abuses in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, and Beijing’s South China Sea assertiveness.

As the December deadline approaches, parliamentarians are mobilising for a debate, with calls for an independent review of the security implications.