The UK's state-owned energy company, Great British Energy, will no longer use solar panels linked to Chinese slave labour, following a significant policy shift announced by Energy Secretary Ed Miliband.
Ed Miliband will introduce an amendment to existing legislation ensuring that Great British Energy's supply chains remain free from modern slavery practices.
This decision reverses the government's previous position, where ministers rejected a similar amendment to the Great British Energy Bill just last month, which was designed to cut spending from supply chains where there is “credible evidence of modern slavery”.
The production of solar panels in China's Xinjiang region has been widely linked to the alleged exploitation of Uyghur Muslims, creating ethical concerns for importing nations.
China’s dominance of global climate tech supply chains
China currently dominates the global renewables market, producing approximately 50% of the world's polysilicon, a key component in solar panel manufacturing.
The UK imports over 40% of its solar photovoltaic equipment from China, according to data from HMRC.
A government source revealed to the BBC that following the previous vote, "there has been an acknowledgement of the argument that Great British Energy should be an industry leader".
The policy reversal has already garnered international praise from energy leaders.
“I really salute the UK government's decision,” says Fatih Birol, Head of the International Energy Agency.
Fatih emphasised that while materials for green technology are important, they "should really be produced in a socially and environmentally acceptable way".
Reactions across the political spectrum
Labour MPs who advocated for the change are viewing this as a victory for ethical sourcing and procurement in renewable energy.
Acting Conservative Shadow Energy Secretary Andrew Bowie described the amendment as a "humiliating U-turn from Ed Miliband" and suggested it would impact government targets on renewable power expansion.
However, former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith—a long-time advocate for tougher policies regarding China—supported the government’s decision.
"I hope and believe they are now seeing sense and realise it is a terrible situation to allow products that have been produced by slave labour," he said.
How to implement this decision
While the text of the new amendment has not yet been published, it will focus specifically on GB Energy's objectives and ensure the elimination of slavery and human trafficking in its supply chains.
Achieving this goal presents significant challenges, as verifying supply chain ethics in the Xinjiang region has proven difficult for many industries.
Previous BBC investigations uncovered evidence of slave labour in the manufacture of cotton and solar panels destined for UK markets, practices the Chinese government has consistently denied.
“There's a problem right the way throughout the renewables sector with state-imposed forced labour in China," says Luke de Pulford, Executive Director of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China.
“It is going to require a transition because China has such a dominance of the production of polysilicon and nearly 40% of that comes from Xinjiang and is connected in some way to these labour transfer schemes, so we're going to have to diversify," he explains.
Government sources insist this ethical stance will not impede the UK's net zero ambitions, claiming sufficient capacity exists in alternative solar panel supply chains.
A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero affirmed that the relaunched Solar Taskforce would focus on developing supply chains that are "resilient, sustainable and free from forced labour".
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