China threatens ‘consequences’ over London embassy delay October 17, 2025 China has unleashed a threat of “consequences” over the latest delay to approving its application for a highly controversial new embassy at the Royal Mint Court site in London, amid escalating diplomatic tensions between the UK and the world’s second largest economy. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian has blasted Keir Starmer for failing to [...]
Labour delays decision on China’s mega embassy application October 16, 2025 A decision on China’s new mega embassy next to the Tower of London has been delayed to December amid growing concerns that China is interfering with British democracy by spying on MPs and stealing classified information. The application for the new embassy at the Royal Mint Court site was set to be finalised as early [...]
Security adviser made ‘independent decision’ to use Labour policy in Chinese spy statement October 16, 2025 A Labour minister has claimed the deputy national security adviser made an “independent decision” to use what appeared to be the political party manifesto’s wording in his witness statement provided to the the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) regarding the alleged collapsed spying case. Cabinet Office minister Chris Ward doubled down on political claims that the [...]
China ‘stole vast amounts’ of classified UK documents October 15, 2025 UK intelligence has been “compromised” after China stole classified UK government documents over several years, a former senior adviser to Boris Johnson has claimed. Dominic Cummings, who served as a senior adviser to former Prime Minister Boris Johnson for over a year, has said that classified material was stolen by China and the label “threat” [...]
Starmer attempts to defuse China spy fiasco as tempers flare October 15, 2025 Keir Starmer is looking to defuse a fiasco surrounding the collapse of an alleged Chinese spy case in parliament in the face of ongoing questions over whether national security advisers discussed the details of the case in private meetings. Starmer told MPs at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday that the government would release witness statements [...]
US-China tensions heat up as Trump threatens to block cooking oil imports October 15, 2025 Donald Trump has threatened to cut off all imports of cooking oil from China, in another escalation of the war of words over trade between the world’s two largest economies. Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform that the latest trade tussle with China over soybeans represents “an Economically Hostile Act”. He [...]
Trump’s treasury secretary Scott Bessent lashes out at ‘weak’ China October 14, 2025 Markets have wobbled amid attacks by Scott Bessent on China’s trade policy, after Beijing unveiled sweeping controls on rare earth materials and critical minerals. The US treasury secretary told the Financial Times: “This is a sign of how weak their economy is, and they want to pull everybody else down with them.” He said: “Maybe [...]
Labour dismisses ‘smears’ over Chinese spy case as top Tory calls defence ‘absurd’ October 13, 2025 A senior minister has dismissed accusations that the Labour government deliberately collapsed the Chinese spy case as being a “whole series of baseless smears.” Security minister Dan Jarvis told parliament that the previous Conservative government’s failure to clarify definitions in the Official Secrets Act of 1920 led to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) dropping a [...]
Jonathan Powell urged to answer questions on Chinese spy case in public October 13, 2025 National security adviser Jonathan Powell has been urged to answer questions on the collapse of a Chinese spy case in public, with the government doubling down on its defence that it did not subvert the trial to maintain diplomatic ties with Beijing. Powell is set to appear before a private committee in parliament to answer [...]
Badenoch seeks answers from Starmer on China spy case collapse October 13, 2025 Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch has written to Prime Minister Keir Starmer with questions regarding the collapse of the trial of alleged Chinese spies amid a deepening row over Labour’s handling of national security and trade relations with the world’s second largest economy. Badenoch has demanded Starmer come clean on national security adviser Jonathan Powell’s role [...]