It is deeply disappointing that Labour MPs voted to block a Conservative amendment that would have prevented taxpayer money from being spent on solar panels where there is credible evidence of modern slavery in the supply chain.
The amendment backed by Conservative MPs and cross-party peers was a clear and moral response to the growing body of evidence linking solar panel production in China. It would have ensured that Great British Energy (GBE), the Government’s new publicly-owned energy company, could not invest in products built on exploitation.
This was not a partisan issue it was about basic human decency. The United States has already taken steps to bar goods produced in Xinjiang unless companies can prove otherwise. The UK should be leading by example.
Instead, the Government whipped its MPs to vote against this measure, effectively allowing state-backed purchases of goods potentially made by slave labour.
I will continue to push for strong, enforceable action to protect human rights in our supply chains—because our drive for net zero must not come at the cost of morality.
