Labour's Sagal Abdi-Wali has comfortably won the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, defeating Green Party leader Zack Polanski by more than 3,000 votes. The Camden Council leader received 12,292 votes, with Mr Polanski coming second with 8,928. Ewan Cameron of the Conservatives came third with 1,922 votes.
Victory speech
“Whether you voted for me or not my commitment to this community runs deep,” Ms Abdi-Wali said in a deeply personal acceptance speech. “Now it’s time to deliver,” she added.
The Greens had conceded the result ahead of the declaration, which came around 3am on Friday.
Polanski's response
Speaking to reporters after his defeat, Mr Polanski said he would not resign, insisting “that’s what leaders do.” He said: “What just happened in Holborn and St Pancras is we just over tripled our vote share. What I’ve seen is people excited about our plans for rent controls, tackling the climate crisis and nationalising Thames Water.”
Mr Polanski also backed the controversial motion passed at the annual Green Party conference a few days ago, which asserted that “Zionism is racism.” Speaking to reporters, he said: “I grew up in a Zionist household and I grew up with the idea that that region was a land without a people and a people without a land. And as I’ve educated myself, learnt, discovered, I don’t believe that’s true and what we’re seeing is an ongoing genocide and the displacement of the Palestinian people. I believe that’s clearly racism.”
Abdi-Wali's message
In her victory speech, Ms Abdi-Wali was seen beaming as she emotionally recalled her personal connection to the borough of Camden. She spoke on her experience as a refugee from Somalia, her plea to tackle homelessness, and thanked her predecessors. Paying tribute to Sir Keir Starmer and Frank Dobson, Ms Abdi-Wali said she was “deeply grateful for their service” and the “foundations they’ve left for the next generation.”
The newly elected MP said: “I hope this moment says something for who gets to belong. For people who look like me, I hope they see themselves reflected in this place and know that their path too belongs here.” “This is Camden and this is Britain.” “I will never forget where I came from,” she added.
