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UK Rights Watchdog Calls for Binding Forced-Labour Import Ban

JCHR argues enforcing a mandatory due diligence regime with penalties is essential to prevent tainted goods entering UK markets

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The Government has been warned the UK risks becoming a 'dumping ground' for solar panels made using forced labour (Source: Getty Images)
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Overview

  • The Joint Committee on Human Rights warned on July 23 that gaps in the Modern Slavery Act leave the UK vulnerable to imports of goods produced with forced labour, including items tied to Xinjiang.
  • The report urges ministers to impose import bans on products linked to forced labour and to introduce mandatory human rights due diligence backed by penalties for non-compliance.
  • April’s amendment to the Great British Energy Bill extended a ban on forced labour in energy supply chains but was criticised for lacking enforcement mechanisms or penalties.
  • Comparisons with the EU’s enhanced due diligence rules and the US’s presumption-based bans highlight the UK’s weaker protections against forced-labour imports.
  • A BBC investigation confirmed that at least 17 tomato products sold in UK supermarkets likely came from Xinjiang fields using forced labour, underscoring enforcement shortfalls.