Labour holds Holborn seat as Green leader Polanski falls short

Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali won the Holborn and St Pancras by-election on Thursday with 12,292 votes, defeating Green Party leader Zack Polanski, who received 8,928 votes. Abdi-Wali secured 45% of the vote to Polanski's 33%, a majority of 3,364. Turnout was 38.76%, a significant drop from the 2024 general election.

The seat was vacated after former Prime Minister Keir Starmer resigned as MP in September following his replacement by Andy Burnham. Labour has held the constituency since its creation in 1983. The result offers relief to Prime Minister Burnham, whose leadership was partly justified by the need to counter the Green surge.

“The displacement of the Palestinian people, the genocide is clearly racist.”

Polanski vowed to remain as Green leader despite the loss, citing a 22.4% increase in his party's vote share and the second-best by-election result in Green history. He told Sky News his future would be decided by members at a leadership election next summer. Former leader Caroline Lucas suggested he should have participated in a controversial conference vote declaring Zionism racism.

The campaign's final days were overshadowed by that Green Party conference motion. Polanski faced criticism for not taking part in the debate and later refused to say directly whether he supported Israel's right to exist. He stated the displacement of Palestinians and the ongoing genocide were "clearly racist."

Abdi-Wali, the leader of Camden Council and a former child refugee from Somalia, delivered a victory speech emphasizing diversity and belonging. Prime Minister Burnham congratulated her, saying the constituency had "voted for hope."