In a statement, ETI said it had “decided to decline to respond” to an invitation to give evidence to the fast fashion giant’s inquiry led by Alison Levitt QC into how its clothes are made, criticised the focus of the investigation and ultimately questioned its independence. 

The monitor said that the issues uncovered at garment factories making Boohoo clothing in Leicester “have existed in the UK garment sector for decades” and had only been exacerbated by the coronavirus. 

ETI criticised the questionnaire’s “narrow questions” and its focus “on individual factories and suppliers, rather than looking at the business practices that feed this environment” and questioned why similar practices at Boohoo factories in Burnley had not received the same scrutiny and criticism.