Ministers need to "get their fingers out" and pressurise Qatar over the deaths and injuries to migrant workers building infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup, an MP has said.
Labour's John Mann (Bassetlaw) derided the football world for being more concerned about the weather at the Qatar World Cup than the hundreds of Nepalese and Indian workers who have died on building sites.
He added that construction workers who get injured are then "grotesquely" left financially destitute as they cannot work Mr Mann called on Sport Minister Helen Grant to raise the issue with the Qatari authorities.
During culture, media, and sport questions in the Commons, he said: "May I suggest that you get your finger out and start raising this issue?
"Because the football industry seems far more concerned about the weather when the World Cup's played than the fact that hundreds of Nepalese and Indian workers have died constructing the site.
"And even more grotesquely perhaps, those who get seriously injured are left financially destitute precisely because they are injured.
"Will you raise this properly as your Government should be doing?"
Ms Grant replied: "It has been raised by colleagues in the Foreign Office but I can say that we will continue of course to encourage the Qatari authorities and other interested parties to do more.
"We need to make progress on improving the living and working conditions of migrant labourers and of course we stand ready to support their efforts where we can."
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