Solicitor General
I was delighted to be appointed Solicitor General in Andy Burnham’s new government in July. I have spent the first few weeks getting my feet under the table and learning more about my duties. It is quite a change from chairing the Justice Select Committee, not least because I have moved from scrutinising ministers to being one.
The Solicitor General is one of the government’s Law Officers, alongside the Attorney General. It is a slightly unusual ministerial job. The Law Officers are part of the Government but are also its senior legal advisers, with a responsibility to uphold the rule of law and some functions which have to be exercised independently and in the public interest. The Solicitor General supports and deputises for the Attorney General and can exercise the Attorney’s legal functions.
Between us we also oversee the Government Legal Department, which provides legal advice across Whitehall, and superintend the Crown Prosecution Service and Serious Fraud Office. That does not mean telling prosecutors who to prosecute – both make their individual prosecution decisions independently. Other Law Officer responsibilities range from advising on difficult legal questions facing the government to considering whether sentences which appear unduly lenient should be referred to the Court of Appeal.
I have already had an interesting introduction to the job. I travelled to Belfast with the Attorney General for the opening of the legal year, where I was sworn in to the Bar of Northern Ireland and met our counterparts there to discuss how we can strengthen our justice system. I have also visited the Serious Fraud Office, meeting its Director and staff and hearing about some of its current investigations and priorities. Tackling serious fraud and economic crime will be an important part of my work.
There is plenty else to get on with. Our courts and criminal justice system are under enormous pressure and the government has some difficult decisions to make about how we improve them. Having spent the past two years examining many of these problems as Chair of the Justice Committee, I am looking forward to approaching them from a rather different direction.
Becoming a minister does not change my responsibility to represent Hammersmith and Chiswick. I will continue my constituency surgeries, casework and visits and, as the rest of this newsletter shows, there is no shortage of local matters requiring attention.
Andy Burnham
When I wrote my last newsletter in July, Andy Burnham was about to become Prime Minister and I said that, while the mood in Parliament was positive, MPs were aware that Burnham was taking on an almost impossible job. Two months later the scale of that job has not got any smaller, but we have a better idea of the sort of government he intends to lead.
He started with the cost of living. VAT on domestic electricity bills will be removed for six months from 1 October, the £2 cap on bus fares in England outside London returns next year and pubs, social clubs and live music venues will get a 20% reduction in business rates. None of this is going to make people suddenly feel flush, but it is practical help with bills and everyday costs. I am particularly pleased about the help for pubs and music venues, having heard from many locally about the increasing costs they face.
Perhaps more interesting in the longer term is what Burnham is doing with government itself. No10 North has opened in Manchester and the National Economic Council has been revived, bringing ministers and regional mayors together. After eight years running Greater Manchester, Burnham was hardly likely to arrive in Downing Street and decide that Whitehall knows best.
Meanwhile, the problems which were there in July are still there. The NHS, housing and criminal justice all need money, as does defence, while the government is trying to get growth moving and bring down the cost of living. International events have not been especially obliging either. Ukraine and the Middle East continue to demand attention and put further pressure on energy prices and the public finances.
What I have noticed most is the change in pace and tone. Burnham talks about giving people some immediate breathing space, but he has also been quite open that there are no quick answers to many of these problems. Governments are usually judged on what actually changes rather than what they announce, so after two months it would be premature to start handing out marks.
Before he became Prime Minister I wrote that I was impressed by his willingness to listen and his ability to communicate what he wants government to do. Working with him now as a member of his government has not changed that view. There is plenty to do then.
By-election
There will shortly be a by-election in Holborn and St Pancras following Keir Starmer’s decision to stand down as an MP. I joined fellow west London MPs Seema Malhotra, Ruth Cadbury, Ben Coleman and Rupa Huq for the launch of Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali’s campaign, where more than 500 people turned out in support.
Sagal is the Leader of Camden Council and has lived in the borough for most of her life, having arrived in Britain with her family as a child refugee from Somalia. She has been a councillor, school governor and community activist and, while responsible for housing at Camden, helped secure more than £670 million for improvements to council homes. Housing, support for families and giving children the best possible start in life are at the centre of her campaign. She knows the constituency and its communities extremely well and would make an excellent MP.
The by-election takes place on 8 October, so I expect I will be back knocking on doors there before long.
Palestine
Regular readers will know that Palestine is an issue I have worked on for many years. I have visited Gaza several times, and have long supported recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution.
I therefore welcome what is a long overdue reset in the UK’s approach, led by the new Foreign Secretary, Ed Miliband. The UK has now recognised Palestine and the government has gone further in its response to settlement expansion in the West Bank. It will legislate to ban imports from illegal Israeli settlements and their promotion in the UK, sanction those supporting or profiting from illegal settlement activity and refuse export licences for arms and other goods which materially contribute to the occupation. Further sanctions have also been imposed on extremist settlers responsible for or inciting violence against Palestinian communities.
These are significant steps, particularly at a time when the proposed E1 settlement threatens to make a viable Palestinian state still harder to achieve. There is of course a very long way to go to secure a lasting peace and security for both Palestinians and Israelis, but I am pleased to see the government matching its support for a two-state solution with practical action.
Local News
RNLI moves downstream
After almost 25 years at Chiswick Pier, the RNLI’s Chiswick crew has moved to a new permanent home at Wandsworth Riverside. The new station is ten times the size of the old one, with proper space for equipment, training and rest, as well as facilities for water-safety education and community events. It is also closer to where the majority of the crew’s call-outs take place, although the lifeboats will continue to cover the same stretch of Thames between Battersea and Richmond.
The figures show just how important this service has become. Since the Thames lifeboat service began in 2002, the Chiswick crew has attended more than 5,600 incidents and rescued over 2,500 people. It is an extraordinary record, particularly for a service funded entirely by public donations and supported by around 60 volunteers. We will still see the crews regularly on our part of the river, but after more than two decades working from facilities that were only ever intended to be temporary, they thoroughly deserve their new home.
Readers will be scandalised by the attacks on the RNLI by the far right, simply for carrying out their duties and saving lives. The best answer to this is to contribute to their invaluable work.
Chiswick Book Festival
The Chiswick Book Festival, expertly directed by Torin Douglas, was busier than ever this year, with events at St Michael and All Angels attracting audiences of up to 200. A highlight for me was hearing Hammersmith resident Lord Alf Dubs talk about his autobiography and his remarkable life, beginning with his escape from the Nazis on the Kindertransport.
Details of Alf’s book can be found here.
CPR with the Grove Park Group
I went along to the Grove Park Group’s late summer party, which was a lovely afternoon bringing together more than 100 local residents for good food, music and plenty to keep the children entertained. There was a real community feel to the day, with the slightly more serious addition of CPR training for anyone wanting to learn. My thanks to the Grove Park Group and everyone who helped make it such an enjoyable and well-attended afternoon.
Brackenbury AGM
I was also delighted to attend the Brackenbury Residents Association AGM at the new Civic Campus. It was a good opportunity to catch up with residents and hear about the BRA’s work over the past year, including on planning, crime and local streets, as well as the results of its latest residents’ survey. Council Leader Stephen Cowan also spoke and took questions from residents on local issues.
Askew Arts Festival
I was delighted to join organisers Jonathan Mercer, Kate Fishenden and Caroline Needham for the launch of this year’s Askew Arts Festival at Sulgrave Youth Club. The festival’s theme this year is ‘If children are our future…’, and the launch included an excellent exhibition of work by local youth groups celebrating recycling. It was a lovely start to a week of arts and community events around Askew Road, bringing together local artists, young people and residents.
Hammersmith & Fulham Business Awards
I recently joined local businesses at the Hammersmith & Fulham Business Awards at the new Civic Campus. The awards celebrate the huge variety of businesses we have across the borough, from new start-ups and independent traders to long-established local firms, recognising everything from innovation and sustainability to contributions to the community.
It was also good to catch up with H&F Mayor Sharon Holder and Aniza Meghani of Classic Textiles on Goldhawk Road and I was very pleased to see Classic Textiles wining the award for Shepherds Bush Business of the Year. Classic Textiles has been part of the area for decades and is one of the businesses that has helped make Goldhawk Road’s fabric shops such a distinctive part of Shepherds Bush.
Chiswick Horticultural and Allotments prize giving
I was very happy to be invited to join the Chiswick Horticultural and Allotments Society for the prize giving at its Autumn Show. The Society has been promoting gardening in Chiswick for more than a century and runs two shows each year, open to members and non-members alike. I didn’t enter anything myself, but did come away with a bagful of excellent fruit and veg bought at the auction afterwards!
Flyover Flea Market
This Saturday sees the first Giant West London Flea take over the space beneath Hammersmith Flyover. From the team behind Hackney Flea Market, it will bring together more than 100 traders selling everything from antiques and vintage furniture and clothes to architectural salvage, lighting and assorted unexpected treasures.
I am particularly pleased to see this rather overlooked space in the centre of Hammersmith being put to such imaginative use.
The market is being held under the Hammersmith flyover by Sussex Place, and runs from 10am to 5pm on Saturday 26 September, with entry £2 and free for under-16s.
As well as giving independent traders a new home in west London, it is a good way of encouraging reuse and giving old things another life.
Chiswick House Dog Show
I had the difficult responsibility of being one of the judges at this year’s Chiswick House Dog Show, which brought more than 500 dogs and their owners to Chiswick House for 17 different classes. I was entrusted with, among others, My Dog’s Got Talent and the Handsomest Dog aged 3-4 and decisions which I am sure were scrutinised closely by the unsuccessful contestants.
Congratulations to Pretzel and owner Alexander Montier, who won My Dog’s Got Talent, and to Ronin, owned by Isabella Cole, who won Handsomest Dog aged 3-4.
The show is organised by a small committee and around 150 volunteers, with all proceeds going to the Chiswick House & Gardens Trust to help maintain the grounds. It was great fun and, fortunately, all the dogs appeared to take the judging in good spirit.
Upper Room annual Quiz Night
I put my general knowledge to the test at The Upper Room’s annual Quiz Night held on Wednesday at Latymer Upper School. Sadly, my team was not victorious, but it was a very enjoyable and completely sold-out evening. Most importantly, it was in support of The Upper Room’s excellent work helping people affected by homelessness, food poverty and social exclusion across west London.
Three Peaks for QPR
Good luck to QPR supporters Ben and Millie, who will be taking on the National Three Peaks Challenge, and attempting to climb Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon in just 24 hours on 10 October to raise money for QPR in the Community Trust.
The money raised will support the Trust’s work with communities across west London. I wish Ben and Millie the best of luck with all three mountains and hope readers will consider supporting their fundraising efforts.
Shepherds Bush Cricket Club
Finally, congratulations to Shepherds Bush Cricket Club, who have been crowned ECB National Club Champions after beating New Farnley by five wickets in the final at Wormsley. A fantastic achievement and the club’s first national title in its 144-year history.