Modern slavery | UK Regulatory Outlook March 2025

Home Office updates guidance for businesses on slavery and human trafficking in supply chains 

On 24 March 2025, the Home Office updated its statutory guidance on transparency in supply chains under section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. This is the first time it has been updated since it was first published in 2015. Section 54 obligates businesses with an annual turnover of £36 million or more that supply goods or services and conduct business in the UK to publish an annual slavery and human trafficking statement. 

The updated guidance outlines how businesses should comply with both the letter and "spirit" of the law, and goes into a lot more detail on what the "spirit" means. It provides practical advice for businesses, including step-by-step guidance on addressing modern slavery, integrating with existing frameworks like the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) due diligence guidance, and encouraging organisations to disclose instances of modern slavery. The guidance does not change the underlying law, but it does go much further in encouraging businesses to be proactive in the identification and prevention of modern slavery in their business and supply chains.

Businesses seeking to understand how they should assess and respond to modern slavery risks will find this guidance much more practically useful than its predecessor.

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