In their submission to the inquiry last month, Lammy and Cooper stressed the “importance of countries having functioning diplomatic premises in each other’s capitals”. The UK is currently seeking permission from the Chinese authorities to rebuild its own embassy in Beijing.

China’s plan to build a giant embassy at the site of Britain’s old Royal Mint in the heart of London sparked mass protests on Saturday. Leaders from the opposition such as Robert Jenrick, Tom Tugendhat and others also joined in the demonstrations,

The new embassy, if approved by the UK government, would be the “biggest Chinese embassy in Europe”. Read more at straitstimes.com.

More than 1,000 people gathered outside the historic former site of the Royal Mint on Tower Hill. | ITV News London

Clashes broke out with the police as more than a thousand people gathered outside Royal Mint Court, the proposed site for a "mega-embassy" for China in London.

Hundreds of demonstrators on Saturday protested at a site earmarked for Beijing's controversial new embassy in London over human rights and security concerns. "This is about the future of our freedom,

The proposed building has sparked fierce opposition from nearby residents, rights groups, critics of China’s ruling Communist Party and others.