Sarah Champion MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Preventing Abuse, responding to Theresa May’s comments on modern slavery, said:

“Theresa May is right to focus on modern slavery as the scale of it is frightening. We must be doing more to prevent this horrendous crime but, looking at her track record as Home Secretary, I’m not optimistic.

"The new Prime Minister should be ashamed that she hasn’t acted on the protection for children in the Modern Slavery Act. Last year, 982 children were identified as victims of modern slavery and taken into local authority care. Within days, 60 per cent of those children went missing, presumed to be back with their traffickers, where they would continue to be exploited and abused. This is simply not good enough.

"Modern slavery is on the increase but under Theresa May’s watch, the Police and Border Force have been cut and her Government cut local authorities by over 40 per cent. If Theresa May is serious about tackling slavery, she needs to give professionals the resources to stamp it out.”

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