End Uyghur Forced Labour Coalition Calls for Stronger UK Laws to Stop Uyghur Forced Labour

Note:This report is based on a submission by the coalition to the Standing Group on Atrocity Crimes on 17 December 2025.

By Tayor Uyghur

London, UK – January 9, 2026 – The Coalition to End Forced Labour in the Uyghur Region has welcomed the Standing Group on Atrocity Crimes’ review of the UK Government’s approach to preventing and responding to international atrocity crimes — and used the opportunity to urge urgent reforms to UK law to stop imports linked to forced labour in China’s Uyghur Region.

In its submission to the review, the coalition argued that the UK’s existing modern slavery framework has failed to protect supply chains from products tainted by forced labour imposed by the Chinese state, calling for a new import ban with a rebuttable presumption of forced labour for goods from the Uyghur Region unless importers prove otherwise.

“This would require companies and retailers to trace their supply chains fully and cut business ties where forced labour is linked,” the coalition said, pressing the government to go beyond voluntary reporting requirements.

Forced Labour and Other Abuses in the Uyghur Region

Since 2017, credible evidence shows that the Chinese government has subjected Uyghurs and other Turkic and Muslim‑majority peoples to widespread forced labour throughout state‑run programs framed as anti‑extremism efforts. Forced labour occurs alongside other documented abuses including mass arbitrary detention, pervasive surveillance, torture, political “re‑education,” sexual violence, and forced sterilisation. Independent investigations and UN reports show these abuses are systemic and may amount to crimes against humanity or genocide. The Uyghur Tribunal, an independent people’s tribunal, issued its final verdict on December 9, 2021, determining that the Chinese government had committed genocide and crimes against humanity against the Uyghur and other Turkic Muslim populations in the Uyghur region. 

UK Government’s Position and Past Official Comments

Over the past several years, senior UK government officials have publicly acknowledged the severity of the situation in Uyghur region and signaled concern about forced labour and other human rights violations.

In a statement to the House of Commons, then‑Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab condemned the abuses in Uyghur region as “truly horrific barbarism” and said the UK had a “moral duty to respond” to these violations, including forced labour impacting Muslim minorities. He vowed that “no British organisation, government or private sector, deliberately or inadvertently, profits from forced labour” in the region and outlined measures to strengthen Modern Slavery Act obligations and improve guidance for UK businesses.

Raab also explained that the UK was pushing to exclude suppliers linked to forced labour from public procurement and was undertaking a review of export controls to prevent contributing to abuses in Uyghur region.

Separately, the UK government has used sanctions powers under the Global Human Rights sanctions regime to impose asset freezes and travel bans on Chinese officials and entities implicated in rights abuses in Uyghur region— a coordinated move alongside the EU, US, and Canada to hold perpetrators to account.

Despite these statements and actions, critics argue that official rhetoric has not translated into strong legislative protection to keep forced labour products out of UK supply chains.

But The UK Labour Party has reversed its earlier stance on formally recognizing China’s treatment of Uyghurs as genocide ahead of David Lammy’s visit to Beijing this weekend. This shift is part of a broader diplomatic effort by Labour to improve relations with China.

Exposure of UK Businesses

Research and government guidance show that UK companies are exposed to forced labour risks in multiple sectors, including cotton, textiles, automobiles, electronics, food, agricultural goods, solar panels, and polysilicon. Estimates suggest that UK imports from the Uyghur Region reached approximately £809 million in 2024–2025, covering clothing, toys, furniture, and other consumer items — many from industries with documented links to forced labour.

Recent analyses warn that solar supply chains in particular — where a large share of raw materials like polysilicon comes from the Uyghur Region — may be tainted by forced labour unless urgent action is taken.

A parliamentary Westminster Hall debate on supply chain exposure also highlighted ongoing concerns about forced labour risks and the lack of adequate safeguards in UK law.

Parliamentary Pressure for Reform

UK legislators from across parties have repeatedly pressed the government for stronger action. Senior lawmakers have warned that the UK risks becoming a “dumping ground” for goods made with forced labour if reforms lag behind those in the US and EU.

In 2024, the Business and Trade Committee urged a British version of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act already in force in the United States, which presumes goods from the Uyghur Region are made with forced labour unless proven otherwise — a model many British MPs say should be adopted in the UK.

Weaknesses in UK Law

The coalition highlighted the Modern Slavery Act 2015’s Transparency in Supply Chains (TISC) provision as ineffective, noting it requires companies to report on due diligence but does not compel them to carry it out or prevent forced‑labour products from entering the UK market.

Previous government efforts to amend and strengthen the Act have been debated in Parliament, including proposals to expand procurement and due diligence rules. However, critics note that these changes have not gone far enough to address systemic forced labour tied to state actions in regions like Uyghur region.

Calls for Stronger Legislation

The coalition argues that standalone import‑ban legislation is urgently needed. It recommends a rebuttable presumption of forced labour for goods from high‑risk regions — meaning imports would be banned unless importers can demonstrate they are not linked to forced labour.

Other proposals include mandatory human rights due diligence laws with penalties for corporate and institutional failure to prevent abuses, as well as joined‑up government measures to share information about denied shipments and support ethical supply chains.

Supporters say such laws would align the UK with international peers and address both moral and economic risks, preventing Britain from becoming a market for goods implicated in human rights abuses.

What Advocates Are Saying

Campaigners say that despite some official rhetoric and diplomatic actions, the UK government still lacks the legislative firepower to stop forced‑labour products at the border.

Rahima Mahmut, Director of the World Uyghur Congress UK, described ongoing imports of forced‑labour cotton into British markets as “shameful” and called on the government to adopt a robust import ban to prevent further exploitation.

Looking Ahead

As other countries tighten rules — including the US and EU — pressure is building on the UK to follow suit. Analysts warn that unless the government moves quickly, the country risks undermining its own stated commitment to human rights and ethical trade.

The coalition’s submission to the Standing Group on Atrocity Crimes’ review makes clear that campaigners believe only strong legislation, not voluntary reporting requirements, will ensure that goods linked to one of the most severe human rights crises of the 21st century are kept off British shelves.

The Coalition to End Forced Labour in the Uyghur Region is a coalition of civil society organisations and trade unions united to end state-sponsored forced labour and other egregious human rights abuses against people from the Uyghur Region in China, known to local people as East Turkistan.

Tayor’ is the pen name used by a Uyghur Times staff member for this article.