Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Chinese-manufactured Solar Panels

Tuesday 2 June 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

  • The Modern Slavery Act 2015 provisions require due diligence and transparency to address forced labour in solar panel supply chains.
  • GBE will lead efforts to ensure sustainable supply chains are free from modern slavery.
  • The Government aims to further tackle forced labour in global supply chains.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Bradley Thomas Con Bromsgrove
Immigration Climate Business & Trade
Context

Concerns about the potential implications of using Chinese-manufactured solar panels for Great British Energy policies due to risks associated with forced labour in supply chains.

Question

What assessment has been made of the potential implications for his policies of the use of Chinese-manufactured solar panels by Great British Energy?

Answer from Michael Shanks

Provisions under the Modern Slavery Act 2015 drive industry action via due diligence and transparency to tackle forced labour in supply chains for solar panels. All procurement conducted under Government and GBE contracts is required to meet those standards.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific risks or implications of using Chinese-manufactured solar panels were not directly addressed.

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email
Q2 Bradley Thomas Con Bromsgrove
Immigration Business Compliance
Context

The Xinjiang Uyghur region of China provides a significant portion of the world's solar-grade polysilicon, with an estimated 68% of UK panels coming from China. GB Energy has committed to having a supply chain free from slave labour by spring 2025 but investigations reveal that five out of seven contracts for schools cannot guarantee freedom from forced labour.

Question

What will the Government do to reduce slave labour in supply chains and wean the UK off Chinese-made infrastructure?

Answer from Michael Shanks

GBE will be a leader in how we tackle modern slavery, and it has set up a function to look at sustainable supply chains and to ensure that they are free from modern slavery. The Government wants to go further in tackling forced labour where found in global supply chains.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific actions or timelines for reducing reliance on Chinese-made infrastructure were not provided.

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email