Welcoming Our New Neighbour the Palestinian Embassy

Report back from Andy Slaughter, MP for Hammersmith and Chiswick

Andy Slaughter MP with Palestine's Ambassador to the Husam Zumlot

September 27, 2025

This week Britain finally recognised Palestine as a state.  More than 100 years after the Balfour declaration promised equal rights over the historic lands to Arabs and Jews, 75 years after Britain recognised the State of Israel and ten years after the House of Commons voted overwhelmingly for recognition. 

Better late than never.  And where better to celebrate the event than outside the newly designated Embassy in Hammersmith. On Monday morning, in a cul-de-sac off King Street, hundreds of MPs and Peers, Ambassadors from across the globe and campaigners including many British Palestinians gathered to see the flag raised in front of the Embassy by Ambassador Husam Zumlot and Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer.

Work as Chair of the Justice Committee continues to take a lot of my parliamentary time, with ongoing inquiries, evidence sessions and visits to different branches of our justice system. We have new Lord Chancellor to scrutinise post-reshuffle, David Lammy. The Committee’s job will be to point out the challenges the Ministry of Justice is facing such as the embattled state of the probation service, which the government is asking to take on even more work.

Another substantial and long-awaited piece of justice legislation was published last week, the ‘Hillsborough Law’ designed to prevent the type of miscarriage of justice suffered for decades by the families of those killed in the Hillsborough tragedy. 

It will introduce a ‘duty of candour’ to avoid the malpractice that led not only to Hillsborough but Grenfell, Horizon, Contaminated Blood and many more scandals from recent decades. The Public Office (Accountability) Bill, to give it its official title, will place a new legal duty on public servants to act truthfully and fully support investigations to ensure wrongdoing is not concealed and justice for victims is delivered. I spoke in a well-attended debate just before publication. 

In local news I was privileged to be a judge again at the Chiswick Dog Show last Sunday.  This year I was co-judging the ‘prettiest bitch aged 5-8’.  From a very strong field we chose Lola, a Leonberger therapy dog, as our winner, but every entrant was special.

Andy Slaughter judges at the Chiswick House Dog Show

This weekend is the start of Labour Party Conference beginning on Sunday in Liverpool and it is shaping up to be a busy one.

Best wishes,

Andy

andy@andyslaughter.com

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