British MP Jeremy Corbyn put forward an early day motion in the House of Commons last week to raise concerns about Qatar's treatment of migrant construction workers building the infrastructure for the FIFA 2022 World Cup.

Corbyn picked up signatures from 17 MPs for his motion (below)

"This House expresses its deep concern at reports of the ill treatment of migrant workers in Qatar on construction projects in preparation for the World Cup in 2022; calls on the government of Qatar to guarantee all International Labour Organisation conditions, including the right to join and be represented by an independent trade union for all migrant workers, and enable an independent investigation into reports of slave conditions, withholding of passports and due wages by employers; and further calls on the Government to make urgent representations to the government of Qatar." (link here)

Early day motions are used for publicizing specific campaigns or events, and demonstrating levels of support should the motion eventually be debated in parliament.

Corbyn's early day motion comes in response to an outpouring of public concern in the UK about migrant construction workers in Qatar following an investigation by The Guardian newspaper. Migrant Rights reported on a peaceful demonstration organized by the Nepali community in London at the Qatari Embassy to protest against slavery-like working conditions of Nepali migrant workers last month.

The UK has close economic and political ties with Qatar. Qatar has already invested $34bn in the UK, including stakes in supermarket chain Sainsburys and a range of major real estate projects.