In this blog, Anti-Slavery International reflects on the Labour Government after the party conference (28 September – 1 October), uncovering where progress has been made, what harmful policies remain, and what still needs to change.
The Royal Liver Building in Liverpool, where the 2025 Labour Party Conference was held.
A month ago, on 28 September, Labour kicked off its second party conference in government. Its promises of fairness and reform are now being tested against reality, as the Government sets out its vision for the year ahead.
The party long associated with defending workers’ rights has taken some welcome steps to strengthen protections, both at home and abroad. But the tone and direction that emerged from this year’s conference paint a troubling picture.
While the Government has made some progress through commitments to improve workers’ rights and tackle exploitation in supply chains, real transformation remains out of reach. Read as Anti-Slavery International reflects on what we’ve seen so far, uncovering where progress has been made, where harmful policies remain, and what still needs to change.
Areas of progress
The Labour Government has shown promising signs of progress on responsible business conduct:
- There is growing recognition of slavery risks within UK supply chains. For example, the Regulations that will guide the NHS in addressing modern slavery in supply chains have been laid before parliament. The Procurement Act 2023 allows companies to be banned from public procurement if linked with modern slavery.
- The Great British Energy Act now includes an obligation for the publicly owned energy company to ensure its supply chains are free from modern slavery. This is the result of months of advocacy by Anti-Slavery International, including delivering a petition signed by more than 10,000 of our supporters to Downing Street.
- Ministers at conference acknowledged the UK’s “piecemeal approach” to business and human rights legislation and hinted that reform is required.
- The Department for Business and Trade is reviewing the UK’s approach to responsible business conduct, considering both mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence (mHREDD) and import controls, alongside the FCDO’s ongoing assessment of UK alignment with UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
These are encouraging signals, but the Labour government must go the full mile to ensure any policy changes have a meaningful impact.
Failed and missed opportunities
Hostile rhetoric and harmful policy:
- Regardless of where we come from and how we arrive, we all deserve to be treated with dignity and compassion. But since coming into power, the Government has continued with its predecessor’s hostile rhetoric towards migrants. This kind of language fuels fear, emboldens hostility, and makes it harder for survivors to seek safety and support.
- At the conference, Labour leaders doubled down on their “control and compassion” message, but for migrant workers and survivors of trafficking, the balance is tipping heavily toward control. Migrant workers are three times as likely to experience forced labour and exploitation than local workers – a reality any attempt to end modern slavery must address head-on.
- The current Government has also chosen to keep harmful provisions contained in the Nationality and Borders Act (2022) and the Illegal Migration Act (2023), despite strongly opposing them when they were proposed under the Conservative Government.
- Provisions contained within the ongoing Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill expand the damaging Public Order Disqualification introduced under the Nationality and Borders Act (2022). This means many trafficking survivors who were coerced into criminal activity will continue to be denied the protection and support they are entitled to under the European Convention on Action against Trafficking (ECAT).
The Government’s approach has prioritised immigration enforcement over victim protection, weakening the system for survivors in the UK. A safe reporting mechanism for survivors of modern slavery and human trafficking is essential, allowing people with insecure immigration status to come forward without fear of detention or deportation.
Under ECAT, the UK is expected to:
- Identify victims of trafficking and ensure everyone has access to support.
- Provide safe housing and specialist care for people who have been trafficked.
- Guarantee a recovery and reflection period, giving survivors time and protection to rebuild their lives.
- Protect survivors from punishment for crimes they were forced to commit as part of their exploitation.
- Apply protections fairly, without discrimination based on a person’s background or how they arrived in the UK.
What’s missing and what’s next
Despite the challenges, the UK Government has an opportunity to change course, and we urge policymakers to put compassion at the heart of the agenda. To truly tackle modern slavery, the Labour Government must take a holistic approach that protects survivors, strengthens corporate accountability, and ensures that no worker – regardless of immigration status – is left behind.
The Business and Trade Committee has warned that the UK risks becoming a “dumping ground” for products made with forced labour if it does not keep pace with stronger laws passed elsewhere. Without a mandatory human rights, and environmental due diligence law and the introduction of import bans on goods made with forced labour, that risk will only grow.
Meanwhile, the continued criminalisation of trafficking survivors undermines protections for survivors in the UK. As long as hostile immigration policies remain in place, survivors of modern slavery and human trafficking will be denied the safety and support they need.
Conclusion
Labour has a chance to build a fairer, more compassionate system that delivers on its promises of reform. But words alone won’t create change. Together, we can urge the Government to put people before politics: to extend protections to migrant workers, strengthen safeguards for survivors, and ensure that the UK plays no part in exploitation at home or abroad.