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Hello, I'm Susan Hume and this is the Yesterday in Parliament podcast.

On Tuesday, the 13th of January, MPs were worried about new revelations about a proposed Chinese embassy close to London's financial heart.

A controversial planning application normally puts one in mind of next door's desire for a hideous extension,

but this is a bit more than an intrusive set of patio doors.

Two hundred and eight secret rooms and a hidden chamber, just one metre from cable serving the city of London and the British people.

The Conservative shadow home office minister, Alicia Cairns,

who's aghast at China's attempt to get planning permission for a so-called superembase

on the site of the former Royal Mint, close to the city of London Financial Centre,

and those cables carrying sensitive data.

The plans were already controversial, but new information turned alarm to horror.

We now know they plan to demolish the wall between the cables and their embassy.

Cables in which our economy is dependent.

Cables carrying millions of British people's emails and financial data,

an access that would give the China's Communist Party a launch pad for economic warfare against our nation.

Now, the security minister was sitting on the government front bench with a big folder,

but he wasn't answering questions on this.

Instead, the planning minister, Matthew Pennycookook had been sent out to deal with it.

And he explained to angry MPs that there was almost nothing he could or would say.

The government does not provide a running commentary on planning casework decisions, as you know,

Mr Speaker, and it would be particularly inappropriate to make any comment on material which has been received.

He said a decision would be made within the next week.

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