Resident campaigners challenging the legality of Labour’s decision to grant China a new embassy at the Royal Mint Court site have filed their Judicial Review at court. They are aided by top planning expert Lord Banner KC…
Labour pushed through approval of the embassy before Starmer’s China trip. China even refused to engage on planning for the visit until approval was formally granted…
The residents’ group is supported by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China which campaigns on human rights. Guido hears official papers were filed at court yesterday. So begins the long journey through the crushing legal planning framework…
Tom Baldwin, author of Starmer’s hagiography, spoke to Times Radio:
Tom Baldwin: “I think he’d like to do something. He’s very dutiful and driven by service. That’s why he came into politics. I think that’s characterised his time as prime minister. He hasn’t always sought popularity or been good at being popular. But I think he has some of the necessary qualities that we actually do want in a prime minister. That resilience, that relentlessness, that ability to carry the weight and the job really does weigh very heavily on people and he carries that weight very, very well.”
Jo Coburn: “NATO Secretary-General?”
Tom Baldwin: “I think that’s something that he would be interested in. I think it probably requires Andy Burnham’s government to support him in that and these are some of the questions which Andy Burnham has to resolve quite quickly.”