UK Opposition Labour Party member of Parliament, Taiwo Owatemi, has called for a statutory inquiry into medical research conducted in the 1960s. The research involved Indian-origin women being given chapatis containing radioactive isotopes to combat iron deficiency. Owatemi expressed deep concern for the women and families impacted by the study and called for a debate on the matter as soon as Parliament returns in September, followed by a full Statutory Inquiry.

The study, which took place in Coventry, aimed to investigate concerns of widespread anaemia among South Asian women, with researchers suspecting traditional South Asian diets as the cause. The women involved were invited to a research facility in Oxfordshire to have their radiation levels assessed. The research trial and its outcome were examined in a documentary in 1995, prompting an independent inquiry by the Medical Research Council (MRC) at the time.

The MRC claimed that the study proved Asian women should take extra iron due to the insolubility of iron in the flour used for chapatis. The MRC maintains its commitment to engagement, openness, and transparency. Owatemi's call for a statutory inquiry has received support from other Members of Parliament, including Zarah Sultana, the MP for Coventry South. The inquiry seeks to understand how this research was allowed to happen and why the recommendation of the MRC report to identify the women was never followed up.