Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Independent Review into the Boohoo Group PLC’s Leicester supply chain, published on 24 September 2020, what recent steps he has taken to tackle modern slavery.

Operation Tacit was set-up in July 2020 to investigate allegations of widespread exploitation and modern slavery in Leicester, and to take appropriate action where non-compliance was found. The issues uncovered included health and safety breaches, illegal working and risk of underpayment of national minimum wage.

The Director of Labour Market Enforcement (DLME) has undertaken an independent review of Operation Tacit and will publish her findings in due course.

The Home Office sponsored Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) and other labour market enforcement bodies continue to work in the sector, and across the economy, to prevent, detect and investigate non-compliance.