And so it should. Now I don’t have any informants in Whitehall, spilling the beans on what is really happening, like most people I get my information from the media reports. They don’t look great and if true, call into question our international trade policy.

I’m an instinctive free trader but with the caveat that countries play by the same rules. Using slave labour to make solar panels more cheaply in China than the UK is not playing by the same rules. Many of you reading this blog will know that your organisation is bound by the Modern Slavery Act, which required business to prevent slavery and human trafficking in their supply chains. I know it might be an additional burden on business, but one person’s burden is another’s freedom.

If UK businesses are bound by this Act, then why is there a risk of solar panels made using slave labour finding their way onto school roofs? In theory, there shouldn’t be, in practice, is someone not showing due diligence in their procurement practices? And if it is happening with solar panels, what other products used in the energy sector might be tainted? Or is it the case that transparency isn’t something some of our trading partners apply? Or very cynically, does net zero trump our other moral obligations? Lots of questions, I know, but the answers are important as we set out the UK’s stall to be a world-leader in our business ethics.

The UK’s Procurement Act should allow the public sector to exclude suppliers from the procurement process where there is evidence of modern slavery. So, we shouldn’t see our schools tainted with the products from slave labour. But on the wider issue of manufactured products, such as a radiator, are the rules being applied fairly? If not, should we not voice our concerns?