Government crackdown on exploitation in global supply chains welcome says TUC and Slavery International

The Government have announced plans to introduce human rights due diligence legislation. Under the new laws, businesses will be required to identify, assess and address risks of potential “human rights abuses and labour exploitation within their operations and supply chains.”

In a written ministerial statement published on 4 November 2026, the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade stated that the Government “will legislate to introduce a mandatory human rights due diligence regime across the UK for services, and in Great Britain for goods”. The announcement follows the Government’s review of responsible business conduct, which concluded that the present reliance on voluntary action and reporting is inadequate.

The proposed new regime would:

• Apply to large UK and overseas businesses: UK businesses with global turnover of more than £350 million, and non-UK businesses with UK-generated turnover of more than £350 million, would be in scope.
• Require companies to carry out risk-based human rights due diligence: in-scope businesses would need to identify, assess and address risks of human rights abuses and labour exploitation within their operations and supply chains. The regime would be aligned with the OECD Guidelines for Responsible Business Conduct and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
• Introduce new enforcement powers relating to goods made using forced labour: a regulator would be able to investigate businesses suspected of placing such goods on the Great Britain market and direct withdrawal where due diligence obligations have not been met and forced labour is identified. The Government separately intends to apply the EU Forced Labour Regulation in Northern Ireland.

The Government also plans a centralised responsible business conduct guidance hub, bringing together guidance, tools and templates.

Anti-Slavery International welcomed the UK Government’s announcement. Craig Bradshaw, Business and Human Rights Manager said:

We welcome the Government’s recognition that the current Modern Slavery Act’s supply chain transparency requirements are insufficient. Comprehensive, dedicated and robust legislation is essential to ensure UK supply chains are free from forced labour and other human rights abuses.

In a statement, Anti-Slavery International encouraged the UK Government to go further, saying: “Environmental protection and human rights and inextricably linked. Excluding environmental harms risks a fragmented approach to due diligence.”

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said:

It’s great that the government will introduce a human rights due diligence law which will hold businesses legally accountable for what happens in their domestic and international supply chains – something that unions have long campaigned for.

For too long, some businesses have benefited from exploitative practices in their operations and supply chains at home and abroad – including poverty pay, unsafe working conditions, discrimination and union busting.

The new law will raise the bar for labour practices and help ensure respect for all human rights – making sure good businesses are not undercut by the bad.

The government should go further by extending the new rules to all businesses, including those supplying to our public sector. Ministers should also include environmental harms within the scope of the legislation.