Governance & Policy
UK Modern Slavery Act 2015
United Kingdom legislation consolidating modern slavery offences and requiring large organisations to publish annual transparency statements on supply-chain risks.
Definition
The UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 is UK legislation that consolidates offences of slavery, servitude, forced labour and human trafficking, establishes an Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, and under section 54 requires commercial organisations above a turnover threshold to publish an annual statement describing steps taken to ensure slavery is not occurring in their business or supply chains.
Quick reference
At a glance
- Subject
- Governance & Policy
- Editorial status
- Editorial draft
- Definition status
- Established
- Last updated
- 19 August 2026
- Also known as
- UK MSA · Modern Slavery Act · Section 54 statement
Overview
What it means
It created the transparency-statement model that influenced similar laws in Australia and elsewhere, though its reporting duty carries no financial penalty for non-compliance.
How it is used
Companies publish modern slavery statements on their websites; investors and NGOs benchmark statement quality; reform debates push for mandatory due diligence.
Why it matters
It was the first major national modern slavery transparency law and remains the reference point for supply-chain reporting in the UK.
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