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A human rights group has launched a legal campaign to try and stop online fast fashion group Shein from listing on the London Stock Exchange. It is urging UK regulators to refuse the multi-billion pound share sale on forced labour concerns. Stop Uyghur Genocide, which claims that the Uyghur minority group are being used as forced labour in Shein’s cotton supply in China’s Xinjiang region, has called on the financial watchdog to block Shein’s application and will legally challenge any potential listing.

Ricardo Gama, of Leigh Day, the solicitors acting for the group, said: “Stop Uyghur Genocide expects UK financial institutions to uphold the high ethical standards that they pay lip service to, and to make clear that London isn’t the place to come for a ‘no questions asked’ approach to capital. At the very minimum regulators must make sure that laws in place to root out modern slavery are complied with.” The lawyers have asked the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to seek more information from the company about the accuracy of its published Modern Slavery statement.



Shein needed to explain the “appropriate measures” the Stock Exchange has in place to spot any trade in goods produced overseas in a way that would be an offence under the Modern Slavery Act 2015. It said Shein’s listing application should be refused unless the FCA is satisfied its products are not tainted by forced labour. Rahima Mahmut, of Stop Uyghur Genocide , said he was “deeply concerne.

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