Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Tackling Forced Labour Practices

Tuesday 20 January 2026 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • UK's Joint Committee on Human Rights warns the UK risks falling behind the EU and US on tackling forced labour practices.
  • Government commits to promoting and protecting human rights, including addressing issues in Xinjiang.
  • Minister supports voluntary human rights due diligence by businesses as per UN guidelines.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Richard Quigley Lab Isle of Wight West
Foreign Affairs Business Compliance Standards & Ethics
Context

The Joint Committee on Human Rights warned that the UK risks falling behind the EU and US in addressing forced labour, particularly concerning products from Xinjiang.

Question

I thank the Minister for his response. However, the UK’s Joint Committee on Human Rights has warned that without stronger action, we risk falling behind the EU and the US, and even becoming a dumping ground for goods produced with forced labour. Will the Government commit to introducing legislation that sends a clear and unequivocal message that the UK stands firmly against Uyghur forced labour, and will not allow such products into our market?

Answer from Chris Elmore

We are clear that no company in the UK should have forced labour in its supply chain. We are committed to promoting and protecting human rights, including in Xinjiang, and we continue to work with international partners to hold China to account for its human rights violations. The Government’s review of responsible business conduct is considering a range of policy options to tackle forced labour.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not provide a specific legislative commitment as requested, but rather stated that they are reviewing policy options to address forced labour.

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Q2 Alec Shelbrooke Con Wetherby and Easingwold
Business Compliance Energy
Context

The Energy Secretary emphasized the need to transition quickly towards renewable energy, raising concerns about potential human rights abuses in the supply chains of these renewables.

Question

As the Energy Secretary insists that we move as quickly as possible to renewables, may I ask the Minister what steps he has in place to ensure that the materials—90% of them are processed materials—used in renewables are made without slave labour and human rights abuses?

Answer from Chris Elmore

We of course support voluntary human rights due diligence by businesses, as recommended in the UN’s “Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights”. As I mentioned in answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Isle of Wight West (Mr Quigley), in the Government’s review on responsible business conduct, those will be some of the options that we take forward.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister provided general support for human rights due diligence but did not specify concrete steps or measures to ensure materials used in renewables are free from forced labour and abuses.

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