A representative for one of the world’s biggest fast fashion retailers, Shein was unable to answer questions from MPs over where it sources its cotton from.
Shein’s general counsel for Europe Middle East Africa (EMEA) Yinan Zhu was asked if the company sells products containing cotton from China, mainly the region of Xinjiang, where China has been accused of subjecting members of the Uyghur ethnic group to forced labour.
Speaking at the Business and Trade Committee, Ms Zhu was asked several times whether the company uses cotton supplied from China.
After being pressed on the matter, she said she would have to write to the committee with an answer.
She 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 added: “Obviously, we comply with laws and regulations everywhere we do business in the role. 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.”
When asked if the company believed forced labour took place in Xinjiang, Ms Zhu reminded MPs of the “agenda of the committee, as I understand it, we’re looking at upholding standards”, before adding: “I’m only able to answer the questions that are relating to our business.”
Shein was founded in China in 2012 and is now a leader in fast fashion, shipping to 150 countries.
Committee chairman Liam Byrne challenged Ms Zhu, but she repeated she would have to write to the committee afterwards.
Mr Byrne said the parliamentary committee was “horrified” by the lack of information provided and said Zhu’s statements gave lawmakers “zero confidence” in the integrity of Shein’s supply chains.
“The reluctance to answer basic questions has frankly bordered on contempt,” Mr Byrne said.
The top lawyer’s responses were said to be “ridiculous” and “very unhelpful and disrespectful” by committee member Charlie Maynard.
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1:39
Shein listing would ‘wake up London capital markets’
When Ms Zhu said she was answering to the best of her ability, the Lib Dem MP said: “That is simply not true. We’ve asked you some very, very, very simple questions and you are not giving us straight answers.”
Ms Zhu also said she was unable to say anything about reports the online giant was preparing to list as a public company on the London Stock Exchange.
Sky News reported exclusively in June that Shein had prepared to file a prospectus with the Financial Conduct Authority for approval ahead of a potential float on the exchange.
But when asked on Tuesday if this was true, and why the company had stopped pursuing a New York Stock Exchange float, Ms Zhu said she was unable to comment on any IPO (initial public offering) speculation as it was not her remit.
Global economic growth has been downgraded by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) – as the impact of US President Donald Trump’s tariffs becomes apparent.
Major economies including the UK will have lower rates of GDP – a measure of an economy’s value and everything produced – due to the US’s imposition of taxes on some goods it imports, the Paris-based OECD club of 38 rich countries said.
The UK economy will grow only 1.4% this year, as opposed to the 1.7% previously anticipated.
Next year, the figure will be 1.2%, lower than the 1.3% forecast before Mr Trump took office in January, according to the OECD interim economic outlook.
It’s more unwelcome news for Chancellor Rachel Reeves after January GDP unexpectedly shrank. The government has repeatedly said growing the economy is its number one priority.
In response to the OECD figures, Ms Reeves pointed out the UK is forecast to be “Europe’s fastest growing G7 economy over the coming years – second only to the US”.
“This report shows the world is changing, and increased global headwinds such as trade uncertainty are being felt across the board,” said the chancellor.
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2:19
Reeves reacts to growth figures
Global GDP will slow, the OECD said, from 3.2% in 2024 to 3.1% in 2025 and 3% in 2026 due to the higher trade barriers caused by the tariffs and the policy uncertainty around their implementation.
US growth has been revised downward to 2.2% in 2025 and 1.6% in 2026. Higher GDP of 2.4% and 3.1% had been expected for this year and next.
While the Eurozone has not escaped the downgrades it is less impacted than first thought, the report said.
“European economies will experience fewer direct economic effects from the tariff measures incorporated in the baseline projections, but heightened geopolitical and policy uncertainty is still likely to restrain growth,” it said.
What’s happening with tariffs?
After some false starts, where levies were announced and paused last minute or not brought into effect at all, tariffs are now in effect on some goods coming from China.
Thames Water has staved off effective government ownership after an unsuccessful legal challenge to its financial restructuring.
The Court of Appeal has ruled in favour of a £3bn loan intended to temporarily sort out its finances while the company raises more private investment, dismissing an appeal.
The decision backs the High Court judgment of last month and means the UK’s biggest water supplier is unlikely to be taken into special administration – a form of government control – in the coming days.
Without the loan, Thames Water said it would run out of money on 24 March.
The appeal was launched by Lib Dem MP Charlie Maynard and a small group of Thames Water creditors.
Those creditors had objected to the loan as they faced being wiped out completely in the financial restructuring.
The company is now struggling under a £19bn debt pile. It was unable to secure more investment from existing shareholders over the high fines it faced from regulator Ofwat for rule breaches.
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Monday’s decision was met with dismay from campaigners and welcomed by Thames Water.
“As a vital public utility serving a quarter of the population, the Environment Secretary should be charting a course to safer waters by putting Thames into special administration and public ownership,” said Matthew Topham the lead campaigner for We Own It, which campaigns for public ownership of public services.
“Instead, Steve Reed has just flushed nearly £1bn of households’ cash down the drain in the form of interest payments and professional fees by supporting this terrible deal to go ahead.”
Thames Water chief executive Chris Weston said “We remain focused on putting Thames Water onto a more stable financial foundation as we seek a long-term solution to our financial resilience.”
“Today’s news demonstrates further progress.”
The first half of the £3bn will come through in “the coming months”, he added.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Each Monday, our Money team speaks to someone from a different profession to discover what it’s really like. This week, we chat to Aaron Archer from Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Mamma Mia! about life as a West End performer…
There’s no such thing as a starting salary in the performing arts… A job may be an equity contract with a union that sets out minimum salaries depending on the size of the theatre or the amount of work and many other varying factors. Or it could be a privately/commercially financed job, meaning the salary can vary hugely. All equity minimum figures can be found online but it can range between £600-900 roughly a week for an ensemble member in a West End show. Again, this figure can vary below or above this. The principals will earn a higher salary as well as people who cover other roles or have extra responsibilities such as being the dance captain.
You don’t necessarily have a stable income to rely on… Contracts can differ in length from just a few days to a year or more.
Many performers have another job on the side… to supplement their income, as sometimes you can’t solely rely on the earnings from performing.
People might look down at a cruise ship contract… but these performers are extremely talented and earning money doing the job they love just the same as somebody in a show in the West End, with the cruise ship job paying more than a West End contract sometimes.
A usual week consists of eight shows… but over busy periods extra shows can be added. With most shows being around two and half hours, as well as any additional rehearsals, we are working between 35-40 hours a week with one day off.
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It’s very hard to plan ahead... You never know what you’re going to be doing or where you are going to be from one year to the next. I went from working on a cruise as a dancer travelling the world, to then the next year making my West End debut in Mamma Mia.
Image: Theatres on London’s West End
The most important skill to do this job well is… to just be a nice person. Obviously your talent and hard work and dedication will be a huge factor in getting jobs but if you are a nice, friendly person then that will make you 10x more employable.
My favourite part of my job is… knowing that six-year-old me would have never imagined I’d be doing this as my career and getting to meet so many amazing people.
You meet amazing people at the stage door… who want to meet the cast members and sometimes get a picture or signature after the show. But stage door isn’t compulsory and sometimes you do just want to get home to rest and you can be made to feel guilty if people are unhappy that they didn’t get the chance to see you afterwards.
My mind has gone blank for split seconds… and there have been multiple occasions where in a scene carrying bagpipes the pipes have fallen off or broken on stage. I’ve just had to carry on while holding a snapped pipe in my hand, somehow managing to keep a straight face.
Rejection is a regular thing to deal with… It’s normal to get emotionally attached to opportunities that you have put so much time and effort into, after rounds and rounds of auditions for a job and waiting weeks to hear if you’ve booked the job or not. It is emotionally draining.
For one role I had to fake tan twice a week… and another I had to wear a wetsuit and flippers on stage while dancing.
Dealing with burnout from a very physically and mentally demanding schedule… can make it harder to have other commitments outside of work and seeing friends and family.
Theatre is good value for money when you look at… how much work goes into what the audience members are seeing on the stage. The sheer volume of people that it takes to put on a show, from the production team to the backstage team, cast, creatives, wardrobe, wigs, makeup, sound, theatre front of house staff and many other teams of people that make it possible. I do think that some ticket prices for some shows have become not as easily accessible, but apps like TodayTiks are great for finding affordable tickets for various shows.