UK: Parliamentary Committee calls for new legislation to tackle forced labour in supply chains, including import bans, mandatory due diligence and civil liability
“Urgent legislation to tackle forced labour in UK supply chains needed, says Parliamentary committee”, 24 July 2025
Forced Labour in UK Supply Chains highlights the UK’s failure to keep pace with international partners such as the EU and USA in addressing forced labour.
It calls for urgent new legislation to ban the import and sale of goods linked to forced labour, introduce mandatory human rights due diligence for businesses, and establish a civil liability for companies that fail to prevent forced labour in their supply chains…
It found that the UK’s current legal framework is fragmented and ineffective, and that voluntary measures do not prevent forced labour from entering UK markets…
The report recommends:
- A new law to make it unlawful to import or sell goods linked to forced labour.
- Banning certain imports…
- Mandating human rights due diligence for UK businesses…
- Tougher rules to make companies report forced labour in their supply chains…
- Creating a civil cause of action for survivors of forced labour to seek justice in UK courts.
- Rigid public procurement rules…
The Committee also criticised the Government’s recent China Audit for failing to set out a clear approach to addressing state-imposed forced labour in China, particularly in the Xinjiang region…