Murphy: FIFA must act over Qatar World Cup workers

SHADOW international development secretary Jim Murphy said the World Cup in Qatar “should not be built on the backs of workers’ misery and blood” as he delivered a speech to Labour’s annual conference in Manchester.

Jim Murphy on day two of the Labour party Conference. Picture: Getty

The East Renfrewshire MP - who played a leading role in Better Together - also said Labour had to work to “guarantee that we don’t have a divided Scotland” and to fight for social justice across the globe.

Mr Murphy went on to call for action from the global football authorities to prevent the exploitation of workers, who are building stadiums in Qatar ahead of the 2022 World Cup.

He said: “Because I’m an optimist and despite Scotland’s recent World Cup record I love football. So as well as demanding FIFA and the Qatari government take action, we’ll extend the work in freedom programme to help migrant workers at risk of exploitation on the construction sites of Qatar.

“This was the ugly secret of the beautiful game and we should be clear the World Cup should not be built on the back of workers’ misery and blood.”