Thank you to those constituents who have approached me regarding people-centred trade policies. Let me begin by assuring you that my colleagues and I remain committed to promoting the protection and respect of human rights in business, both at home and abroad.
In 2020, the UK was the first country to create a National Action Plan to implement the UN’s Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), widely regarded as the authoritative international framework to steer practical action by governments and businesses worldwide on this important and pressing agenda.
This plan set out what is expected regarding the conduct of UK businesses, including compliance with relevant laws and respect for human rights; treating the risk of causing human rights abuses as a legal compliance issue; adopting appropriate due diligence policies; and consulting those who could potentially be affected. We expect all UK businesses to respect human rights throughout their operations, in line with the UNGPs, including their supply chains.
We also took steps, through the Modern Slavery Act 2015, to ensure no British organisation, public or private, unwittingly or otherwise, is complicit, through their supply chains, in human rights violations. Section 54 of the Act established the UK as the first country in the world to require businesses (with a turnover of £36m or more) to report annually on steps taken to prevent modern slavery in their operations and supply chains.
The UK's Presidency of the G7 in 2021 and the resulting commitments from G7 members to tackle forced labour in global supply chains clearly demonstrates our commitment to ending modern slavery and I have no doubt our Party will continue to promote the importance of these efforts going forward.
The Conservative-led government has engaged with the UN Working Group looking at proposals for a new international treaty on business and human rights since 2015 through to the seventh session, which took place on 25-29 October 2021. As things stand, the landmark UNGPs remain the most clear, global and legally sound framework for putting respect by businesses for human rights on governments’ respective national agendas. I know it is doing all it can to support their implementation worldwide.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Department of Business and Trade also produce guidance to assist businesses in exercising such due diligence in countries where concerns around human rights exist.
Although trade is vital for our economy and future prosperity, it need not come at the expense of our values or international obligations on human rights. I can assure you that we would continue to assess and consider appropriate action in response to egregious human rights violations and abuses globally, and that this goes much wider than considering trade alone.
As President and host of COP26, we led the way on securing agreement from 141 world leaders to work together to halt and reverse forest loss by 2030 under the Glasgow Leader's Declaration on Forests and Land Use. Signatory countries account for over 90 per cent of the world’s forests, including first-time commitments from Brazil and China.
Domestically, we introduced world-leading due diligence legislation through the Environment Act to tackle illegal deforestation in UK supply chains. This will make it illegal for larger businesses in the UK to use key forest risk commodities produced on land illegally occupied or used. Businesses in scope will also be required to undertake a due diligence exercise on their supply chains, and to publicly report on this exercise every year, or risk fines and other civil sanctions. These provisions will be implemented through secondary legislation.
I have long supported and encouraged sustainable fashion which recognises the importance of buying practices which do not harm the planet. Before being appointed to a Ministerial position, I co-chaired the APPG on sustainable fashion. Since October 2020, a wide group of stakeholders, comprising retailers, manufacturers and non-profit organisations have also been working with the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority to address poor practice and working conditions.
We are clear all UK businesses, including the fashion industry, must respect human rights throughout their operations, in line with the UN Guiding Principles as mentioned above. In addition, the "Work in Freedom" programme has supported 433,650 women and girls in the garment sector in South Asia, Lebanon and Jordan with training and access to services since 2018.
I hope this provides a useful outline of the steps we have taken to tackle unfair and unethical trading practices by UK brands and retailers.
I have been specifically asked about speaking up against UPOV91 seed patenting laws. While patents are an important incentive, seed patenting has the potential to undermine biodiversity as well as innovation & competitiveness in the plant growing and farming sectors. All agricultural and food security related policy deserves proper scrutiny - should I be elected for the East Grinstead & Uckfield constituency, I would be delighted to raise issues such as this, on behalf of constituents, with the next government.
