Government 'laser focused' on not buying solar panels from companies with forced labour, says minister
25 March 2025, 08:59 | Updated: 25 March 2025, 09:04
The government is 'laser focused' on not buying solar panels from companies with forced labour, housing minister Matthew Pennycook has said.
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Speaking to LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast, Mr Pennycook said the government was "absolutely determined" to tackle human rights abuses and to deal with modern slavery.
He said the government was working to ensure they were not using forced labour in supply chains.
It comes as GB Energy is investing £200m in solar panels for hundreds of hospitals and schools as part of its first major project.
But ministers are expected to overturn measures that would guarantee that companies using forced labour would not contribute towards the UK's efforts to reach net zero.
Ed Miliband was previously challenged by Nick on the use of British solar panels, with the energy secretary confirming that they would be from "a range of places" including China and Russia.
Read more: Shadow Energy Secretary casts doubt on Ed Miliband's GB Energy plans, after bill passes vote
Watch Again: Nick Ferrari is joined by Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook | 25/03/25
"Ed Miliband is completely right, we've got to build up our domestic industry," Mr Pennycook said.
"We take human rights abuses, modern slavery in supply chains extremely seriously. There's work under way across government to ensure that we're not using forced labour in supply chains.
"The relaunched solar taskforce, for example, is laser focused on developing sustainable, resilient supply chains free of forced labour.
"We've got to take a whole industry, whole government approach."
He continued: "We are focused on ensuring that we're not buying from supply chains where forced labour is involved.
"Ed Miliband raised this in his recent visit to China, with representatives of that government there."
The minister went on to say: "We're absolutely determined to tackle human rights abuses and to deal with modern slavery."
Many solar panels used across Britain come from China, with the Xinjiang region producing between 35 per cent and 40 per cent of the world's polysilicon - the material needed for the panels.
In the same region, more than 2.6 million people are involved in forced labour in detention camps.
