Tom the Peregrine Returns and Learning About the Enigma Machine at POSK
Report back from Andy Slaughter, MP for Hammersmith and Chiswick
Andy Slaughter MP at the unveiling of the reconstructed Enigma machine at POSK
November 17, 2025
On Remembrance Sunday I attended the Chiswick Remembrance Service, and I was honoured to take part in the parade from Chiswick Memorial Club to Chiswick war memorial, where I laid a wreath. I am very grateful to my friend and colleague Cllr Wesley Harcourt who laid a wreath on my behalf at the Shepherd's Bush memorial. In the week before I also attended the Westminster Garden of Remembrance where I added a tribute on behalf of Hammersmith and Chiswick.
After the remembrance service on Sunday, I visited the Polish Social and Cultural Association, where a reconstructed enigma machine was unveiled to mark Polish Independence Day and the vital role of Polish mathematicians in breaking German codes, which saved many lives and shortened World War Two.
At the start of the month, I attended the Friends of Margravine Cemetery AGM. In some great news from the group, Tom the Peregrine who has lived in the Charing Cross Hospital grounds for the last 14 years, is back in good health following an accident in August after which he was found in the cemetery unable to fly.
Nationwide has announced that the Chiswick, Hammersmith, and Shepherd's Bush branches will be open until at least the start of 2030 as part of their commitment to serving their members and supporting local communities. Nationwide is committed to keeping all of their 605 branches open until at least the start of 2030.
Friday the 7 th was a day of celebration of Hammersmith community heroes. There was a wonderful and fitting memorial for Barrie and Millie Stead, who both died last year, at Riverside Studios. Barrie was active in politics for six decades and helped found Riverside Studios. He and Millie were endlessly kind and attentive to people’s problems and two of the finest people you could wish to meet.
The Chiswick War Memorial (left) and Andy Slaughter at the Remembrance garden at Westminster (right)
Later that day I was delighted to celebrate another local hero, Hilda McCafferty at her birthday celebration in White City at Our Lady of Fatima Parish Centre.
Many in Hammersmith and Chiswick will have heard of Wet Wipe Island near Hammersmith Bridge. Over the years I have attended annual wet wipe counts to highlight the scale of the problem and many volunteers have spent countless hours trying to clean up the Thames shores in our local area. Wet Wipe Island was recently cleared up in a major operation. A major part of ensuring Wet Wipe Island doesn’t reoccur is banning plastic in wet wipes. That’s why I was delighted this week to celebrate the government’s change in the law that will finally ban the sale of plastic wet wipes.
Campaigning on wet wipes with Putney's MP Fleur Anderson
Two weeks ago, there were reports that prisoners had been ‘released in error’ from HMP Wandsworth and this is of course extremely concerning, especially following the high-profile release from HMP Chelmsford last month. I understand that both of these prisoners erroneously released are now back behind bars, but this speaks to a wider issue of a justice system at breaking point.
Last week the Lord Chancellor made a statement on this and explained steps being taken to try and prevent future releases in error. I welcome the initiatives announced but I asked him if he will look at the Justice Committee’s current reports on drug culture, organised crime and the lack of education and work in prisons and if he will commit to tackling the underlying breakdown of order and discipline in the prison system, which has made many prisons unsafe, chaotic and unfit for purpose. Evidence taken by the Justice Committee has laid bare a crisis-hit prison system, starved of investment over many years which is facing multi-faceted pressures, including overcrowding and understaffing. As Chair of the Justice Committee, you can read my full statement here.
On Friday, the Justice Committee published our report on the cycle of reoffending. The report found that prison overcrowding, staffing shortages and deteriorating infrastructure is having a ‘profound impact on the ability of prisons to deliver rehabilitation’. You can find out more about this and see my comments here.
Best wishes,
Andy
andy@andyslaughter.com
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