Art at St. Paul's, a Silent Walk for Grenfell and a Picnic with POSK

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Report back from Andy Slaughter, MP for Hammersmith and Chiswick

Andy Slaughter MP visits the art exhibition at St Paul’s CofE primary school,

June 30, 2025

On Saturday 14 June, I joined west London residents on the Silent Walk to mark the eighth anniversary of the terrible fire at Grenfell Tower that took 72 lives in the most horrific circumstances. This year’s walk was all the more poignant as it will be the last walk to take place with the tower still standing.

Demolition work begins this autumn, with mixed feelings among residents. There is a fear that with the tower gone, it will be easier for the authorities involved to let the issue fall by the wayside. This is all the more concerning given the slow progress of the inquiry.

The government has said it will implement all the recommendations of the inquiry, which is good news. We will continue to hold them to that.

The Silent Walk for Grenfell

On Friday 20 June I paid a visit to St Paul’s CofE primary school, along with Cllr Callum Nimmo, to see their art exhibition which was a culmination of the brilliant work the children had produced during their art week. At the exhibition I was delighted to chat to parents, children and staff and I was also treated to a tour of the school and was very impressed with what they have done with the space.

The art work at St Paul’s CofE primary school

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of attending both the POSK Picnic and the Windrush Blockorama.

It was great to be at the opening of the picnic, put on by the Polish Social and Cultural Association (POSK). The picnic took place in Ravenscourt Park and was organised to mark 80 years since the end of World War two. The afternoon featured games, performances by musical and dance groups as well as plenty of delicious Polish food.

Andy Slaughter MP (left) at the POSK Picnic in Ravenscourt Park

22 June was Windrush day, and what better way to spend it than at the Windrush Blockorama later in the afternoon. The event was a wonderful celebration of Caribbean culture with brilliant music as well as storytelling and more delicious food. It was a lovely afternoon and great to see so many people out to celebrate and honour the Windrush generation.

This followed an event I hosted in Parliament earlier in the week about compensation for those impacted by the Windrush scandal.

The week before last I spoke in the Crime and Policing Bill debate on the problems with the criminal justice system and also specifically on the Safer Knives Group proposals for reducing deaths and serious injuries from knife crime.

20 June saw the third reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill which I have long supported. I know the topic of assisted dying is an incredibly sensitive one with deeply held beliefs on both sides of the debate. I was pleased to see the bill pass its third reading and it will now be scrutinised in the House of Lords. I made a speech in the debate, which you can read in full here.

Last Wednesday I led the debate on the spending of the Ministry of Justice on criminal justice. In my opening speech I focussed on three key areas: prisons and probation, the courts and legal aid. You can read the full debate here.

In other Justice news, a couple of weeks ago, the Justice Committee questioned the former Lord Chancellor, David Gauke, on his radical proposals for sentencing. The proposals will see a transfer of up to 10,000 people from prison to community punishments, and a whole new regime inside prisons. The aim is both to deal with the overcrowding crisis left by the Tories and to rehabilitate offenders more effectively and curb the ridiculously high reoffending rates we have in the UK.

The week before last, the Hammersmith and Fulham Law Centre took part in the London Legal Walk. The law centre does amazing work providing people in need with legal advice and representation as well as giving support and training to other community groups. They would appreciate any donations as their fundraising page is still open.

Hammersmith and Fulham Foodbank is moving into a new warehouse and needs support for the move and to upgrade the facilities. The foodbank is an essential local service for those who need it, you can find out more and donate here.

Last week the Metropolitan Police launched ‘Met Engage’, which is a new way for Londoners to receive updates from local officers via a new website. Officers will use the platform to keep communities updated on local incidents and investigations and to provide crime prevention advice and information. You can sign up to receive updates and find out more information here.

Best,

Andy

andy@andyslaughter.com

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