The UK's new slavery laws explained: what do they mean for business?

Provisions to increase transparency in supply chains will push forced labour up the corporate agenda, but there are concerns it does not go far enough

What do nail bars, the fishing industry, the London house of two medical professionals and cannabis farms have in common? They have all recently been implicated in modern slavery.

This year the UK government passed the Modern Slavery Act, the first piece of UK legislation focusing on the prevention and prosecution of modern slavery and the protection of victims. After much debate, the government included a provision on transparency in supply chains, which came into force in October.