The value of the work of Hope for Justice was raised in Parliament multiple times yesterday, including by Jess Phillips MP, the Minister whose role includes modern slavery, who said: “Hope for Justice is very much part of the core group of those we take advice from in the Department, and I speak to Euan [Fraser, Hope for Justice’s Senior Policy and Research Advisor] regularly.”
Jess Phillips MP, Minister with responsibility for tackling modern slavery, speaking in Parliament on 27th March 2025. Image: Screengrab from parliamentlive.tv
Jess Phillips was speaking as part of the debate marking 10 years of the Modern Slavery Act, during which she also referenced “transparency in supply chains and the need to go further”. Hope for Justice and Slave-Free Alliance have been urging action on this and were pleased to see the recent updated guidance.
In the same debate, Blair McDougall, MP for East Renfrewshire, called for more focus on the role of Independent Modern Slavery Advocates® and praised the work of Hope for Justice.
Worcester MP, Tom Collins, said: “I learned through the excellent work of Hope for Justice that there were slaves right here in the UK—hidden even within my own city. And I learned that many of those slaves were children, not unlike my own. I felt a hint of the desperation that I would feel if one of my children had been trafficked into slavery—how I would pray that there would be someone to rescue them, someone who would not rest until slaves had been found and released. I realised that, for somebody else’s child, I had to be that someone. Fortunately, I was not alone, and 10 years ago [Parliament] once again passed legislation to end slavery in our nation. It recognised our duty to eliminate slavery from our supply chains, and it introduced a key revelation to policing: that someone presenting as a perpetrator might in reality be a victim. The world has continued to change, however: our protections have weakened and the challenge has grown.”
