Labour MPs Block Ban on Chinese Solar Panels Linked to Forced Labour

[Social Media]

 

Labour MPs have voted against a proposed ban on the government purchasing solar panels with alleged ties to modern slavery, sparking criticism from Conservative politicians. The amendment, aimed at preventing Britain’s new publicly owned energy company, GB Energy, from buying products suspected to be made using forced labour, was put forward by peers concerned about human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region.  

 

China, which dominates the global solar panel supply chain, produces around 80% of the world’s panels. The Xinjiang region, where Uyghur Muslims have reportedly been subjected to forced labour and human rights abuses, is responsible for up to 40% of the world’s polysilicon, a key component in solar panels.  

 

 

Despite these concerns, Labour MPs, under the party whip, voted to reject the amendment, which would have prevented public money from funding any company associated with forced labour. The amendment was defeated by 314 votes to 198, with no Labour MPs breaking ranks to support it. However, several Labour MPs, including Rachael Maskell and Alex Sobel, abstained from the vote.  

 

The decision was met with strong opposition from Conservative MPs, who argued that Britain should take a harder stance against modern slavery in supply chains. Andrew Bowie, the Shadow Energy Secretary, highlighted the historical significance of the vote, stating, “It was on this day in 1807 that the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act received royal assent. And 218 years on, Labour MPs are going to be whipped to allow the state to directly fund imports of goods built by slave labour in China.”  

 

Bowie argued that the amendment was about protecting vulnerable people, particularly the Uyghur Muslims of Xinjiang, and ensuring that Britain's net zero ambitions were not achieved at the cost of human rights violations.  

 

Former Conservative Party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, who has been sanctioned by China, echoed these concerns. He declared, “Many in this House will not stop until the Government faces up to one thing and one thing only: not one life through modern slavery is worth a lower cost of a solar panel. And that should be an epitaph of this ridiculous position the Government is in.”  

 

Despite rejecting the amendment, ministers have insisted that steps will be taken to ensure more stringent procurement processes for GB Energy. This includes appointing a senior figure within the company to oversee ethical supply chains and requiring companies to conduct their own supply chain assessments. Energy Minister Michael Shanks reassured Parliament that “this government is absolutely committed to confronting and tackling modern slavery in energy supply chains.” He emphasized that GB Energy would take a leading role in ensuring transparency and ethical sourcing.  

 

A £200 million investment into GB Energy, announced last week, will fund the installation of solar panels on schools and NHS hospitals as part of the UK’s goal to achieve net zero electricity by 2030. While ministers insist that no materials in government-procured panels will come from forced labour, critics argue that stronger safeguards—similar to those in the United States—are necessary. In the U.S., goods from Xinjiang are presumed to be made using forced labour unless proven otherwise, resulting in an import ban.  

 

Matthew Pennycook, a housing minister, reiterated the government's stance, stating, “We need to see action across the whole of the energy industry and that’s why we’re working across government to tackle the issue of forced labour in supply chains.” When pressed on whether he could guarantee that materials would not be sourced from forced labour, he replied, “Absolutely.”  

 

A 2023 report from the Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice at Sheffield Hallam University found overwhelming evidence that major solar panel manufacturers in Xinjiang have recruited and employed forced labourers. The study revealed that in 2020, China supplied 75% of the world’s solar-grade polysilicon, with nearly half of that production coming from the Uyghur region.  

 

Concerns over forced labour in supply chains are not limited to solar panels. In December, *The Telegraph* reported that tomato and pepper products sold in British supermarkets were secretly produced using forced labour in China, further fueling calls for stricter regulations.  

 

The rejection of the amendment has ignited a wider debate about ethical sourcing and the UK’s commitment to combating modern slavery. While ministers have pledged to address these concerns through improved procurement policies, critics argue that without a legal ban, there is still a risk that public funds could support unethical labour practices abroad.

 

Based on a report by The Telegraph  2025-03-27

 

 

[JonnyF]

On 3/27/2025 at 7:03 AM, Social Media said:

Labour MPs have voted against a proposed ban on the government purchasing solar panels with alleged ties to modern slavery, sparking criticism from Conservative politicians.

 

No surprise.

 

It's decades since Labour cared about the plight of lowly workers, British or otherwise.

 

They are the party of the left wing globalist elites. 

[blaze master]

2 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

No surprise.

 

It's decades since Labour cared about the plight of lowly workers, British or otherwise.

 

They are the party of the left wing globalist elites. 

 

Uh oh. Youre in trouble now. Cue shadow to tell why you're wrong. 

 

Also link please and you've got nothing.