Fifteen candidates are standing in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, the race to succeed Sir Keir Starmer as MP for the London constituency he has represented since May 2015. The by-election is set to be held on October 8, just two months after Sir Keir announced he was stepping down on September 1.
Labour and Greens lead the field
The contest is a crunch test in London for Andy Burnham's bid to revive Labour fortunes in the capital. The Green Party hopes to continue its gains from May's local elections and has put forward Zack Polanski to contest the seat, which has been held by Labour since the constituency's inception in 1983. The by-election is expected to be a straight shoot-out between Labour and the Greens.
Full list of candidates
Nominations for candidates close on September 15. Here is the full list of those standing:
- Sagal Abdi-Wali - Labour: Leader of Camden Council, Abdi-Wali was chosen as Labour's candidate in a selection meeting earlier this month, pipping more than 100 candidates to the post. She first came to Britain as a child refugee in the early 1990s after fleeing civil war in Somalia. She was elected as a Labour councillor for the Camden Square ward in 2022, after serving as the Cabinet Member for Better Homes. She has been credited with helping to achieve Camden's status as a “Borough of Sanctuary” in 2024. She is currently 1-10 favourite to win the by-election.
- Zack Polanski - Green: Green Party leader Polanski edged out Camden councillor Hamza Chowdhury to win the candidacy. His political career started in 2015 when he stood as a Liberal Democrat candidate for the St Pancras and Somers Town by-election. He joined the Green party in 2017, becoming deputy leader in 2022 after being elected as a member of the London Assembly in 2021. His chances of winning are currently 6-1.
- Ewan Cameron - Conservatives: A former Camden councillor and local political campaigner, Cameron will be the Conservative representative. The Conservatives came fourth in the seat in 2024, behind Labour, independent candidate Andrew Feinstein, and the Greens.
- Patrick Stillman - Liberal Democrats: Stillman is a Liberal Democrat councillor for West Hampstead and outgoing chairman of Camden Lib Dems. The Lib Dems came sixth in the seat in the 2024 election.
- Pete Newman - Reform UK: Former Metropolitan Police detective Newman is a former counter-terrorism commander who responded to the aftermath of the July 7 bombings. According to the party, he specifically led Met officers in Westminster to return the borough to normality and assist businesses in building resilience against potential future terrorist acts.
- George Galloway - Workers Party: Leader of the Workers Party of Britain, Galloway is hoping to become an MP for the eighth time. He has served as an MP seven times for five different constituencies. His chances of winning are between 66-1 and 100-1.
- Tyler Johnson - Restore Britain: A corporate lawyer based in London, Johnson says his local priorities are tackling Class A drugs, addressing council housing shortages and reducing congestion charges.
- Briony Kapoor - Rejoin EU Party: Kapoor previously served two terms as an independent town councillor in Folkestone and Hythe.
- Jonathan Silberman - Communist League
- Helen Spiby-Vann - Christian Peoples Alliance
- Clare Fisher, Climate Party Barmy Brunch, Official Monster Raving Loony Party
- Tom Darwood - independent
- Ketankumar Pipaliya - UK VOICE safer and stronger UK
- Ben Walker - UKIP – NO to illlegal migrants
