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The chair of a cross-party group of MPs has written to the heads of the UK financial watchdog and the London stock exchange to raise concerns about fast-fashion group Shein ahead of its planned IPO.

Liam Byrne, who chairs the House of Commons business and trade select committee, said MPs had doubts about the integrity of Shein’s supply chain after hearing “controversial evidence” from the company this week as part of a broader inquiry into employment rights in the workplace.

Byrne wrote to Nikhil Rathi, chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority, and Dame Julia Hoggett, head of the London Stock Exchange, to say the committee “struggled to receive clear answers from Shein on their business practices”.

He asked the two organizations for more details and a review of the listing process after a senior Shein employee refused to answer several questions about whether the cotton it uses in some of its products comes from the region. in China’s Xinjiang, an area linked to accusations of the use of forced labor. , as well as plans to pursue a list in London this year.

Shein, which was founded in China and is based in Singapore, uses thousands of manufacturers in China to make its clothes and then sells them at the lowest prices around the world.

It has improved since the Covid-19 pandemic but has also faced allegations of poor labor practices in its supply chain. The company has repeatedly said it has a “zero-tolerance policy” regarding forced labor and most of its cotton is understood to come from Australia and the US.

The FCA said in response to Byrne’s letter: “We look forward to setting out our role in our response to the committee.”

Rathi told the Financial Times last month that the FCA’s decision on whether to allow a company to list in London would depend solely on its disclosures, not “every aspect of their corporate conduct”.

Without commenting specifically on Shein, Rathi said it was “not unusual” for UK-listed companies to carry legal risks around the world and “the important thing is that they disclose it, it is understood by investors and they can price the risk”.

Before a company can list in the UK, the FCA checks that its prospectus contains all the necessary elements, but does not verify the accuracy of this information.

Any errors or omissions discovered later may lead to investor lawsuits and FCA enforcement action.

Rathi is accompanying UK chancellor Rachel Reeves on a three-day trip to China this weekend and may discuss Shein’s listing plans with his counterparts in Beijing.

David Schwimmer, chief executive of LSEG, which owns the London Stock Exchange, is also part of the delegation.

Byrne said he was “deeply concerned by the lack of frank and open answers to some simple, basic questions” from Shein about its supply chain in his letter to Hoggett.

He asked if the LSEG was able to verify “the statements of the companies seeking to list, with particular attention to their safeguards against the use of forced labor in their products”.

In writing to Rathi, he wants to know what checks are being made to ensure that companies disclose legal risks to prospective investors in their listing documents.

LSEG and Shein did not immediately respond to a request for comment.