Voters are casting their ballots in the by-election to elect a new MP in Keir Starmer's former seat of Holborn and St Pancras in London. Polls close at 10pm on Thursday, with ballots to be counted overnight.
Labour's candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali, a former child refugee from Somalia, is competing against Green Party leader Zack Polanski in the contest. The seat became vacant after Mr Starmer announced last month that he would stand down as an MP to focus on international affairs.
Defining moment for Green leadership
The result could be a defining moment for Mr Polanski's leadership, 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. However, the Greens' popularity has dipped after Andy Burnham regained some Labour voters who had lent them their vote.
Mr Polanski has also faced a troubling week after the Green Party passed a controversial motion at its conference in Brighton asserting that "Zionism is racism". The Green Party leader, 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".
Race described as close
Ahead of polls opening, Mr Polanski admitted the race is "looking close". Labour sources are understood to be confident but not complacent, with insiders aware that Mr Polanski's profile could sway the outcome.
Andy Burnham said: "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."
Thirteen other candidates in the field
There are 13 other candidates in the by-election, including the Conservatives' Ewan Cameron, Reform UK's Peter Newman and the Liberal Democrats' Patrick Thomas Stillman. Also running is George Galloway of the Workers Party of Britain, despite living overseas in what he describes as "self-exile".
Mr Starmer 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). The seat has been a Labour stronghold since its formation in 1983, held by Frank Dobson for 32 years and Mr Starmer for 11. Mr Starmer said he was ready to "pass the baton to a successor" after leaving No10 earlier this summer, having previously planned to remain in Parliament until the next general election, expected in 2029.
