MPs are right to demand straight answers from Shein: Greg Wright

The company has faced allegations that some of the clothes it sells contain cotton sourced from the north-western region of Xinjiang, where China has been accused of subjecting members of the Uyghur minority group to forced labour.

MPs grew frustrated as the lawyer repeatedly declined to answer questions over the company’s cotton supply chain and potentially listing its shares on the London Stock Exchange.

Liam Byrne, who chairs the committee, said: “For a company that sells a billion pounds to UK consumers and which is seeking to float on the London Stock Exchange, the committee has been pretty horrified by the lack of evidence you have provided. You have given us almost zero confidence in the integrity of your supply chains, you can’t even tell us what your products are made from, you can’t tell us much about the conditions which workers have to work in. The reluctance to answer basic questions has frankly bordered on contempt of the committee.”

His comments followed a tense exchange in which the lawyer was asked whether Shein uses cotton supplied from China, and then more specifically from Xinjiang.

The lawyer said: “For detailed operational information and other aspects, I am not able to assist. I will have to write back to the committee afterwards.” She later added: “Obviously we comply with laws and regulations everywhere we do business in the world. And we have supplier code of conducts, we have robust systems and procedures in place and policies in place.

“We also have very strong enforcement measures in place to ensure we adhere to these standards that are expected in our supply chain.”

But Mr Byrne continued to challenge her for a “yes or no” answer, saying: “You can’t tell me definitely today whether the products you sell today contain any cotton from Xinjiang?”

The lawyer nervously laughed as she apologised and repeated that she would have to write to the committee afterwards.

Asked if the company fears there is forced labour in Xinjiang, she said: “I don’t think it’s our place to comment on … to having a geopolitical debate.”

Mr Byrne pushed back, saying: “It’s not a geopolitical debate, it’s a question of fact.” Challenged on whether the company specifically prohibits its suppliers from sourcing cotton from Xinjiang as part of its checklist of conditions, the lawyer again said: “I’m going to have to ask for permission to write back to this.”

Mr Byrne’s dogged performance was Parliament at its best. Shein can display respect for this influential committee by providing straight answers to questions which MPs and millions of Britons want answering.

Greg Wright is the deputy business editor of The Yorkshire Post