The by-election to replace Sir Keir Starmer as MP for Holborn and St Pancras will be held on Thursday, October 8, with the result expected to be announced in the early hours of the following day.
Camden Council has confirmed the date for the contest in the north London constituency. The process began when Labour’s Chief Whip Anneliese Midgley “moved the writ”, a motion in the House of Commons chamber asking MPs to agree to issue a new election to replace the outgoing MP.
Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle then put the question to MPs, who backed the motion. It became an Order for the Speaker, who issues a Warrant to the Clerk of the Crown, who then sends the writ to the Returning Officer. By-elections must be held between 21 and 27 working days from the issuing of the writ.
Labour faces Green challenge
Labour is facing a challenge from the Greens in the race to succeed Sir Keir, who announced on September 1 that he is standing down as an MP. He has represented Holborn and St Pancras since 2015 and was elected Prime Minister in 2024.
He left Downing Street following the election of Andy Burnham as the new Labour Party leader. Speaking to the Camden New Journal, following weeks of speculation about his future as an MP, Sir Keir said the “time is right” to “pass the baton” to a new MP.
He added: “It has been a huge honour and privilege to represent the best constituency in the country and to have taken over from Frank Dobson, who was such a great constituency MP and a member of the last Labour government.”
Result timing and turnout
The count will begin after polling stations close at 10pm on Thursday, October 10. By-election results are usually announced in the early hours of the following morning. In 2024, the General Election result in Holborn and St Pancras was announced at 4.15am.
The time the result is known will be influenced by the size of the turnout. The turnout in 2024 was 54.1%. The last two by-elections in the UK saw turnouts of 44.1% in Clacton on August 13, 2026, when Nigel Farage regained his seat, and 58.8% in Makerfield on June 18, 2026, when Prime Minister Andy Burnham was elected MP.
Sir Keir will leave the House of Commons once a new MP has been elected to replace him. The seat of Holborn and St Pancras was created in 1983 and has only ever been held by Labour.
