Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to clause 6(a) of the UK-USA Economic and Prosperity Deal, published on 8 May 2025, whether she plans to direct Border Force to search direct cargo flights from Xinjiang to the UK to ensure they are not carrying goods made with forced labour.

Border Force does not routinely assess whether goods on freight entering the UK may have been made using forced labour, but we work closely with law enforcement partners to share intelligence to ensure all goods abide by customs and excise rules.

The Government encourages businesses to monitor their global supply chains with rigour, uncover and remedy any instances of modern slavery they may find. Under Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, commercial businesses who operate in the UK and have a turnover of £36 million or more must report annually on the steps they have taken to prevent modern slavery in their operations and supply chains by publishing an annual modern slavery statement.

The Home Office has recently published updated Transparency in Supply Chains statutory guidance. This new guidance is more comprehensive, practical and ambitious – calling on businesses to go further and faster. This will support businesses to produce high quality statements, which are underpinned by effective measures to prevent and effectively respond to modern slavery.

The Government will continue to assess and monitor the effectiveness of new policy tools that are emerging to ensure we can best tackle environmental harms and human rights abuses, including forced labour, in supply chains. The Government regularly engages with a wide range of stakeholders and its international partner governments on these issues. The Government will consult thoroughly with interested stakeholders as it considers any further action.