Source · Select Committees · Foreign Affairs Committee
Recommendation 26
26
Accepted
The Government should use information gained from local sources, Posts, and civil society to identify...
Recommendation
The Government should use information gained from local sources, Posts, and civil society to identify specific factories and companies that make use of forced labour and prohibit them from importing to the UK through the sanctions regime. (Paragraph 51) Never Again: The UK’s Responsibility to Act on Atrocities in Xinjiang and Beyond 29
Government response summary AI-generated
The government highlights existing measures and previously announced actions, including some sanctions and supply chain due diligence, as their approach to tackling forced labour and does not commit to a new process of identifying specific factories for import bans via sanctions.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted
As stated in response to recommendation 23, in January the Government announced measures to help ensure that no company that profits from forced labour in Xinjiang can do business in the UK and that no UK business is involved in their supply chains. These measures include strengthening OBR guidance; a review of export controls; the introduction of financial penalties under the Modern Slavery Act; and increasing support for UK Government bodies to exclude suppliers complicit in human rights violations or abuses. In March the Government also imposed sanctions against four Chinese officials and one entity responsible for the human violations in Xinjiang, alongside the EU, US and Canada. As above, we do not speculate about possible future designations, as to do so may undermine their effectiveness, however we will continue to keep all listings under review. It is also important that companies work together to share intelligence about suppliers and parent companies that make use of forced labour. Our OBR guidance advises that UK businesses should take such steps. We will continue to keep these measures under review.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗