China’s London super-embassy almost certain to get go-ahead next week
A vast new Chinese embassy complex in east London is almost certain to be formally approved next week despite renewed worries among Labour MPs about potential security risks and the effect on Hong Kong and Uyghur exiles in the capital.The green light for the super-embassy at Royal Mint Court near Tower Bridge would smooth relations before Keir Starmer’s visit to China, which is expected to take place at the end of January, but officials insist there has been no political input in the planning process.It would be a controversial move, with a series of Labour MPs expressing concern in the Commons on Tuesday over the plans for the complex, which spans 20,000 sq metres.Answering an urgent question from the shadow Home Office minister, Alicia Kearns, the planning minister, Matthew Pennycook, whose department is responsible for the process, said he could not comment on what was a “quasi-judicial” process.Kearns secured the question after a report in the Daily Telegraph that unredacted plans for the embassy showed a network of more than 200 subterranean rooms, one of them alongside communication cables taking information to the City of London.
Pennycook said any new information would be assessed, but the embassy is expected to be given the go-ahead next week after a final consultation,MI5 is understood not to have any security concerns about the project, as revealed by the Guardian last year,Kearns said the lack of concern was complacent, and that access to the cables underneath the embassy “would give the Chinese Communist party a launch pad for economic warfare against our nation”,It would be “a daily headache” for our security services, she said, demanding the Chinese ambassador be called in to explain the plans,Citing Starmer’s planned visit to China, she asked if approval of the embassy would allow the prime minister to “turn up with a gift in hand”.
Government officials are aware the timing could be useful but say it is coincidental.As one put it: “There is no political pressure, but that has crossed our minds.”No Labour MPs spoke in favour of approving the plan during the urgent question.Among those who expressed concern was Sarah Champion, who chairs the Commons international development select committee.“Multiple government agencies and government departments have raised concerns about this mega-embassy,” she said.
“Our international partners have raised concerns about it,Every security briefing I’ve had identifies China as a hostile state to the UK,I am in no doubt this mega-embassy should not be allowed to go ahead,”Other Labour backbenchers focused primarily on the possible repercussions for residents originally from Hong Kong, Tibet or Xinjiang,Several said Chinese diplomatic missions had been used to target such diaspora populations before.
Alex Sobel, the MP for Leeds Central and Headingley, said the embassy could pose a “real threat” to UK-based Hong Kongers and Uyghurs, the predominantly Muslim population of Xinjiang, the far-western region where China has been accused of abuses including forced labour and arbitrary detention.Rushanara Ali, the MP for Bethnal Green and Stepney, in whose constituency the embassy would be sited, called for the concerns of local people to be taken seriously, saying that the area’s large Muslim population meant there was a particular focus on Xinjiang.Another Labour MP, James Naish, who represents Rushcliffe in Nottinghamshire, said the debate was not just about a building, but one of national security and the safety to diaspora groups.He asked for assurances that the process had been fair.Pennycook said: “The planning process hasn’t been compromised.
We will make a planning decision on the basis of the relevant propriety guidance.”The decision had been delayed because of the “detailed nature of the representations that have been provided, and the need to give parties sufficient opportunity to respond”, he said.
West African sunshine dishes: Toyo Odetunde’s chicken yassa pot pie and stuffed plantain boats – recipes
If there’s anything that can assuage my winter blues, it’s a soul-soothing chicken pie. I’ve long enjoyed innovating fusions between west African and other cuisines, and today’s marriage of a deeply flavourful Senegalese chicken yassa-inspired filling in buttery, flaky puff pastry is one of my all-time favourites. But, first, my take on hearty Nigerian stewed beans – ewa riro – using tinned beans for added convenience. Typically paired with ripe plantain, I use the rich beans to fill canoas (plantain boats) in a playful, Latin American-inspired twist.Dried prawns and west African red palm oil, which are integral to our cooking (and the latter is not to be confused with those industrial palm oils that are driving mass deforestation), give this dish its signature umami and uniquely earthy and subtly sweet flavour
How to make penne all’arrabbiata – recipe | Felicity Cloake's Masterclass
Pasta all’arrabbiata is the perfect dish for January. Not only is it quick, vegan and made from ingredients you might conceivably have in the cupboard already, but the name, which means angry, could be said to suit my mood now that the last of the Christmas festivities are over. Happily, a big plate of rich, tomatoey pasta can always be relied upon to lift the spirits.Prep 5 min Cook 25 min Serves 22 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little more to finish1 tsp chilli flakes 2 garlic cloves 400g good tinned tomatoes, or passata 200g penne (see step 1)Salt and black pepper ¼ tsp red-wine vinegar 1 handful basil leaves, or flat-leaf parsleyThis dish is traditionally made with penne, but any shape that traps chunky pieces of sauce will give maximum enjoyment. Caz Hildebrand and Jacob Kenedy’s book The Geometry of Pasta suggests no fewer than 14 alternatives, including farfalle, pappardelle and tagliatelle, while I’d recommend rigatoni, fusilli, conchiglie or, indeed, anything that looks vaguely like them
Martino’s, London SW1: ‘Beautiful bedlam’ – restaurant review | Grace Dent on restaurants
Does central London really need another fancy Italian restaurant? Well, yes, apparently it does …Does the area around Sloane Square in central London really need another fancy, Italian-leaning restaurant that serves up tortellini in brodo and veal Milanese? Well, yes, apparently it does. One Saturday lunchtime late last year at Martino’s was hectic even in the delightful reception area, where we were waiting to check in a coat with the elegantly uniformed front-of-house ladies. All the tables in this hot new all-day brasserie were booked and busy, and plenty of walk-ins were champing at the bit for cancellations.Actually, “delightful reception” is not a phrase I’ve often uttered, or even thought, but this is a Martin Kuczmarski restaurant, so the small things tend to add up to a larger picture – this cocoon-like holding pen keeps would-be queuers away from the diners. Why was I so charmed by this weird, crisply officiated bends chamber that operates as a liminal space between the real grubby world outside and the glitzy, sexy, mock-Italian trattoria inside? Well, it turns out that’s because it solved a problem that I didn’t even realise I had
Helen Goh’s recipe for baked apples with lemon and tahini | The sweet spot
After the excesses of December, these baked apples are a light, refreshing vegan pudding. The filling makes good use of any dried fruit lingering still from Christmas, and is brightened with lemon and bound with nutty tahini. As the apples bake, they turn yielding and fragrant, while the sesame oat topping crisps to a golden crown. Serve warm with a splash of cream, yoghurt or ice-cream (dairy or otherwise), and you have comfort that feels wholesome and indulgent.If need be, you can make these vegan and/or dairy-free with a few simple tweaks
Health by stealth: the rise of drinkable no- and low-alcohol beer
As the last of the liqueur bottles are consigned to the recycling and the festive hangovers subside, even those of us who scorn the very concept of Dry January (no booze at all? In the gloomiest month of the year? Are they mad?) tend to take our feet off the alcohol pedal and give our livers something of a rest.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.Water, of course, is the easiest, cheapest and probably most effective way to detox; it’s also the most boring
Mark Hix’s recipe for roast pumpkin and pickled walnut salad
I try to grow a few varieties of squash every season, but in the past couple of years the results have more or less failed me. I originally put that down to the lack of time and attention I’d given those poor plants, but I’m now starting to wonder if the soil in my raised garden beds overlooking Lyme Bay in Dorset is actually right for them.I’m not giving up just yet, though, and this year I’ll be trying different varieties in a different bed that I’ve prepared and composted over the winter with seaweed mulch. As luck would have it, however, my friend Rob Corbett came to the rescue a couple of weeks ago by giving me several specimens when he delivered some wine from his Castlewood vineyard a few miles away in east Devon. If you know your gourds even a little, you will also know that squashes keep for months, which is handy, because they ideally need to cure and ripen before use
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