Getting My Feet Under the Table in a New Job

Report back from Andy Slaughter, MP for Hammersmith and Chiswick

Andy Slaughter Andy Slaughter

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July 24, 2026

We officially have a new Prime Minister, and I am delighted to be appointed as Solicitor General in Andy Burnham’s new government. I have spent a week getting my feet under the table and learning the ropes at the Attorney General’s Office, as this is very different from chairing the Justice Select Committee.

I have been impressed with the way this new government has hit the ground running with immediate announcements to try and tackle the cost-of-living crisis. From 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027, VAT will be abolished on domestic electricity bills. This new announcement is set to help 30 million households and I hope people in Hammersmith and Chiswick will feel the difference come winter.

We’ve had further announcements on travel that from January 2027 most bus fares will be capped at £2. We are already lucky in London with very affordable bus travel, but elsewhere in the country this is not always the case, so it is brilliant to see public transport being made more affordable for everyone.

The Prime Minister has also recognised that support is needed for pubs, clubs and live music venues and this week he announced the government will be cutting business rates by 20% for over 30,000 venues across the country. It has been a difficult few years for the sector and with these venues at the heart of communities it is important that we help them to thrive. Pubs in Hammersmith and Chiswick have been writing to me for a while now about the rising costs they face and the struggle this causes, so I hope that these measures will make a difference to them.

It will take me a couple of weeks to get myself up to date on matters with my new role as Solicitor General, and I am also taking a short holiday in August, but I still intend to be just as engaged with local communities in Hammersmith, Shepherds Bush and Chiswick. I’ll be taking a short break from these newsletters until September, but please keep in touch on local and national issues that are important to you.

Best wishes,

Andy

andy@andyslaughter.com

P.S. I send a regular email newsletter to residents about local and national issues. If you would like to receive it then please email me at andy@andyslaughter.com, click this link.



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