US suspends Malawi tobacco imports after child labour allegations

Announcement follows news UK human rights lawyers bringing case against BAT

The US government has suspended all imports of tobacco from Malawi over child labour allegations.

The ban follows the news that human rights lawyers are to bring a case against British American Tobacco (BAT)_in the high court in London over child labour in Malawi's tobacco fields, as a result of revelations by the Guardian of the scale of the abuse last year. Leigh Day are acting for nearly 2,000 claimants - children and their parents - and expect that up to 15,000 will join the case.