UK should outlaw imports of goods made by Xinjiang forced labour, says senior lawmaker
2024.09.16 08:10
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain should outlaw imports of products made by forced labour in China’s Xinjiang region, a senior lawmaker from the ruling Labour party said, while reiterating his call for more scrutiny of fashion retailer Shein’s possible London listing.
Liam Byrne, a former Labour minister who heads parliament’s influential cross-party Business and Trade Committee, said he wanted to see a British version of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act that the United States introduced in 2021.
“I’d like to see the new (Labour) government follow through on the promise made – but never delivered – by the Conservatives in the 2022 Queens Speech – to strengthen the modern slavery act and toughen up requirements on supply chain reporting,” Byrne said in emailed comments to Reuters.
In doing so, the new government would re-establish Britain’s leadership of trusted trade that’s free and fair, he said.
Byrne was among several senior UK lawmakers who called for greater scrutiny of China-founded fast fashion retailer Shein and its labour practices after Reuters reported in June that it had started preparations for a potential London listing.
His personal priority is to summon Shein executives to appear before the committee he heads, though the full committee is yet to be elected.
“Shein has a zero-tolerance policy for forced labour. “Visibility across our entire supply chain is of the highest importance to us and we are wholly committed to respecting human rights,” a spokesperson for the company said when asked to comment on Byrne’s statement.
“To comply with applicable laws, we not only require that our contract manufacturers only source materials from approved regions but we also verify this independently.”
Prior to its July 4 election win, Labour indicated its support for Shein’s listing but opposition to the move is building.
In July, a campaign backed by British retail consultant and television personality Mary Portas launched an online petition calling on the government to block a London listing.
In June, a UK-based human rights group, Stop UyghurGenocide, launched a legal campaign to block any Londoninitial public offering by Shein.
