Labour's Hammersmith & Fulham Result Might Be Best in the Country
Report back from Andy Slaughter, MP for Hammersmith and Chiswick
Andy Slaughter on his recent visit to Babyzone
May 18, 2026
The result in the local election on the 7th of May in Hammersmith and Fulham was one of the best, if not the best, for Labour in the country. Labour has held a strong majority in the borough with 38/50 seats, losing two seats to the Tories but gaining three from Greens and an independent.
Credit has to go to the leader and the whole team for the way they have run H&F for the past 12 years. The basic services like cleaning and the parks are always to a good standard, council tax is the third lowest in England, and we have services that don’t exist elsewhere like free homecare and breakfast clubs in all schools. There are ambitious plans to build affordable homes and create good jobs with a clear strategy for the next four years.
Recently I visited Babyzone Hammersmith and Fulham at West London Youth Zone, a free, drop-in space for families with young children.
It was brilliant to see a genuinely accessible service, with no booking or registration required, which brings together activities for children alongside support from health visitors, NHS teams and family workers under one roof.
If you have a child aged 0 to 5, do go along. It’s every Tuesday during term time, 9:30am to 2:30pm at West London Youth Zone, W12 7TF and is completely free. Find out more at babyzone.org.uk.
Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Hammersmith Academy for the Tech She Can National Regenerative AI Roadshow. Students participated in hands-on AI workshops to help build skills in digital literacy, critical thinking, and responsible AI use.
I was part of the judging panel for the student presentations, where they pitched the designs for an AI product and I got to present the prizes. Everyone did really well and it was great to chat with the students about their projects and ideas.
On Friday I was delighted to attend the placing of a memorial on the grave of Jeanne Deroin in Margravine Cemetery. Jeanne Deroin lived in Shepherd's Bush, including on Cobbold Road and was one of the most prominent French socialists of the 19 th Century. She was the first woman to stand for election in France, and taught French to William Morris and W B Yeats.
At the grave of Jeanne Deroin in Margravine Cemetery
Parliament was prorogued until Wednesday last week when the new session began with the King’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament. The King’s speech set out what the government plans for this parliamentary session. Included were the Hillsborough Law from last session plus measures on asylum and criminal and civil justice.
The Justice Select Committee will meet on Tuesday 19 th May for oral evidence in the Rehabilitation and resettlement inquiry and will meet in private on Wednesday 20 th May.
Best wishes,
Andy
andy@andyslaughter.com
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