Voters in Holborn and St Pancras go to the polls today in a by-election to replace Sir Keir Starmer, with Labour’s candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali facing a challenge from Green Party leader Zack Polanski.
Labour’s Sagal Abdi-Wali, who leads Camden Council, remains the favourite to win the north London seat that the party has held since it was created in 1983. But Green Party leader Mr Polanski is hoping to secure a surprise victory and win a place at Westminster.
Polanski says race is ‘close’
Ahead of polls opening on Thursday, Mr Polanski said: “The election is looking close today. We already have a Labour government, a Labour council and a Labour mayor.
“Isn’t it time for a Green voice for Camden to push Labour to do better on issues like rent controls and to put Thames Water into public ownership – issues where they’ve been backtracking?
“On the climate crisis, today is the day to say clearly to Labour, ‘no new drilling in the North Sea’ – a decision they chose to delay until after the by-election result. That makes your vote powerful.
“A vote for the Greens today can show Labour the right direction. Make it happen today.”
Burnham’s polling day appeal
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: “Today, hope can win. But only if you vote for it. I have no doubt that Sagal Abdi-Wali will make a brilliant local MP for Holborn and St Pancras.
“This area gave Sagal a home when she arrived here as a refugee in the 1990s. Camden gave Sagal and her family hope. Now she wants to give that back to the communities that have always been there for her.
“It’s hard to think of someone more committed to their local area and the care of people than Sagal.
“Sagal has a plan to take on vested interests in our water industry, to work with me to help end rough sleeping, and to make sure every young person has the opportunities they deserve to get on in life.
“Sagal is bursting with energy and positivity. She’s given so much to Camden already, and I know she has so much more to give. For Camden, for hope, vote for Labour’s Sagal Abdi-Wali today.”
Constituency history and candidates
The constituency has been a Labour stronghold since its formation in 1983, held by Frank Dobson for 32 years and Sir Keir for 11. Sir Keir won the seat in 2024 with 48.9% of the vote (18,884 votes), with independent Andrew Feinstein as runner-up on 18.9% (7,312 votes) and the Greens in third with 10.4% (4,030 votes).
Mr Polanski is hoping to break Labour’s clean sheet and secure his own seat in the House of Commons. The contest could be a defining moment for his leadership of the party, which has seen a surge in membership and record-breaking results in the May 2026 local elections, gaining more than 440 councillors and control of five councils.
It has been a difficult week for Mr Polanski after the Green Party passed a controversial motion at its conference in Brighton asserting that “Zionism is racism”. Mr Polanski, who abstained on the vote, later said he will “not accept any exclusion, or refusal to engage with anyone, because of the religious or communal body they are part of”.
There are 13 other candidates in the by-election, including the Conservatives’ Ewan Cameron, Reform UK’s Pete Newman, the Liberal Democrats’ Patrick Stillman, and George Galloway of the Workers Party of Britain, despite living overseas in what he describes as “self-exile”.
