London GP Awards, the 272 Bus and the Two-child Benefit Bill |
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Report back from Andy Slaughter, MP for Hammersmith and Chiswick
February 6, 2026 This week I was delighted to attend the London GP awards at the Commons, hosted by Ben Coleman MP. It was a great event made even better by Hammersmith and Chiswick getting more awards than any other constituency. Holly Road surgery in Chiswick got two awards, including the London General Practice Non-Clinical Team Award and London General Practice Safety Award and Hammersmith & Fulham receiving one award. A positive update on transport - from the 31st of January, the 272 bus, operating between Shepherd’s Bush and Chiswick (Grove Park), has increased its evening frequency. Buses will now operate every 15 minutes instead of every 30 minutes after 20:00 on weekdays, after 19:30 on Saturdays and after 18:30 on Sundays. I recently wrote a guest blog for The Chiswick Calendar on the case for water reform. Many constituents write to me unhappy with the service they receive from Thames Water, and in the face of rising water bills and the recent burst mains people experienced in Hammersmith and Chiswick, it is time for change. I also raised the possibility of a social tariff in the commons at DEFRA questions. In other parliamentary news, I voted to support the two-child benefit Bill which will bring hundreds of local children out of poverty by removing the two-child benefit cap. I also spoke on the Palestine debate on the risk of genocide under international law. In Justice news, the Justice Committee visited an immigration tribunal this week instead of holding an evidence session. As part of the visit, we met with HM Courts and Tribunals Service operations team, met with a resident Judge of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber and the acting Chamber President. We were also there to observe part of an immigration hearing. Members of the committee met with Sir Brian Leveson this week to discuss his landmark review of criminal justice. The most recent report published by Sir Brian is part 2 of his independent review of the criminal courts. Following this, I raised the matter of jury trials twice this week in the Commons, once at Justice Questions and again at Solicitor General Questions. The Justice Committee has now launched an inquiry into youth offending and I asked the Lord Chancellor about violence in Young Offender Institution like Feltham. Best wishes, Andy andy@andyslaughter.com
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