Failure to investigate UK imports linked to forced Uyghur labour unlawful, court told

Lawyers and representatives from the World Uyghur Congress and members of the UK Uyghur community outside the high court in London on Tuesday. Photograph: Tom Pilgrim/PA

UK government agencies have broken the law by not investigating the importation of cotton products manufactured by forced Uyghur labourers in China, the high court has heard.

The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) is challenging the home secretary, HM Revenue and Customs and the National Crime Agency (NCA), claiming a failure or refusal to investigate imports from Xinjiang, allegedly home to 380 internment camps, was unlawful.