Green Party leader Zack Polanski has vowed to carry on in his role after he failed to win a seat in Parliament in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election.
Mr Polanski was defeated by Camden Council leader Sagal Abdi-Wali, who retained the seat for Labour after former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer resigned.
She secured 45% of the vote to the Greens’ 33%, a majority of 3,364, but saw a 13% swing to the Greens, whose vote share was up by 22.4%.
Leadership Under Pressure
The vote came in a week that saw Mr Polanski under pressure after Green members backed a motion declaring Zionism is racism, but he insisted he would stay on as leader.
“Of course I can carry on as leader of the Green Party,” he said when asked about a potential threat to his leadership after the loss.
“Of course, I wanted to win. No-one runs an election to lose,” he said, but added that people on the doorstep had been excited about his plans for rent controls, tackling the climate crisis and nationalising Thames Water.
“Of course, we didn’t get over the line, but the point here is that ultimately, I want to make sure those were the options that people have.”
“So many people told me on the doorstep, so they want to give Andy Burnham a chance. Well, he’s got a chance now. Let’s see what he does with it.”
A former Green leader earlier suggested Mr Polanski could face a threat to his leadership if he lost.
Reactions and Party Divisions
Caroline Lucas, the three-time former Green Party leader who was its first MP, said people should “see what happens in the coming days and weeks” when asked about his future the previous evening on BBC Newsnight.
She pointed to Mr Polanski’s failure to take part in the controversial anti-Zionism motion on Sunday, saying he “should have been there and he should have voted”.
Mr Polanski did not directly answer when asked if he believed that Zionism is racism after the by-election result, but said: “The displacement of the Palestinian people, the genocide is clearly racist.”
He denied he had lost control of his party.
“I don’t think that’s true at all. I’ve got a party that was 55,000, 60,000 members when I was running for leader, it’s now 220,000. Any member is entitled to their opinion. We’re a democratic grassroots party.”
The adoption of the motion at the party’s conference makes it policy, despite the opposition of Ms Lucas and four of the party’s five MPs, but it does not mean it will necessarily appear in the future manifesto.
Constituency Context and Reactions
The north London constituency has been a Labour stronghold since its formation in 1983, held by Frank Dobson for 32 years and Sir Keir for 11.
Conservative candidate Ewan Cameron came in third in the by-election, followed by Reform and the Lib Dems.
The Greens conceded ahead of the official declaration but said the “huge swing” was an “incredible result”.
A party spokesperson said: “We are disappointed to miss out tonight but any ideas of a return to the cosy two-party system is just wishful thinking on the part of the establishment. We are here to stay and just getting started.
“The voters have delivered a message to the Labour Government today. They want real change; they want rent controls, they want to see an end to the privatised water rip-off; and they want to see justice for Palestinians.
“On the climate crisis, Labour will not have an easy political ride if they bring in new North Sea drilling.”
Ms Abdi-Wali said her victory was a testament to the success of diversity in the borough.
“I hope this moment also says something about 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.”
She added: “I’ve watched people across Camden work to build communities where difference is not something to fear, but something to value. We cannot allow that work, built over generations, to be casually undone by those who seek to divide us.
“We have a responsibility to defend what we’ve built, and pass it on. Hope is not naive. Without hope there is nothing to build on, and nothing to build for.
“People need to believe that politics can make their lives better and that their communities can thrive and that tomorrow can be better than today.”
She added: “That is what this victory represents. Winning not by making people afraid of each other, but by bringing people together.”
