Sagal Abdi-Wali has been elected as the new Labour MP for Holborn and St Pancras, winning a majority of 3,364 over Green Party leader Zack Polanski, who came second. In her victory speech, she declared the result a win for diversity, expressing hope that "people like (her)" would feel they also "belong here."
Ms Abdi-Wali, the leader of Camden Council, succeeds Sir Keir Starmer, who resigned the seat in September after stepping down as prime minister. Her candidacy as a British-Somalian had been attacked by Reform UK's home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf shortly after the by-election was called.
Full text of the victory speech
Thank you. Thank you so much everyone.
Firstly, I'd like to start by thanking the returning officer and all of the staff at Camden Council for facilitating this process in a really diligent way.
Thank you also to the police who've been keeping us safe. Throughout all of this, I'd like to thank all my fellow candidates. Standing for public office takes courage and regardless of our political differences, that courage is what keeps the heart in our democracy beating.
I'm deeply honoured that our community in Camden has trusted in me to be the next member of Parliament for Holborn and St Pancras. From the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you, and whether you vote for me or not, my commitment to this community runs deep.
I promise that I will work every day to do whatever I can and all I can to improve your life and to improve the life of you and your family. This moment means something deeply personal to me, to represent the place that gave me a home and my family.
A home gave me opportunity and helped me shape and help shape the person I am today.
Camden gave me a community and instilled in me a belief in social justice, inequality and in fairness, and to now have the privilege of representing this same community in parliament is something that I will carry with enormous pride and humility.
A message of hope and belonging
I hope this moment also says something about who gets to belong. For people who look like me, I hope they see your themselves reflected in this place and know that they, their path too belongs here. This is Camden and this is Britain.
For all people, but especially for young people. I want this to demonstrate that you do not have to surrender your hope to succeed. You can lead with optimism, with kindness and with conviction. I want young people to know that their background does not determine the size of their dreams, and the public life is a place for them to make a difference.
I came here as a child, and this place gave me so much a home education, friendships, a community, an opportunity, and it made me who I am. I've spent so much of my life trying to give back through community work in public service, and now to represent Camden in Parliament is perhaps the greatest way I can continue that journey.
I will never forget where I came from and I will always relentlessly fight to be a voice for this place. I want to take this opportunity to thank my parents who taught me from a young age the importance of working hard, standing for your principles, and always given something back to the community that has given you so much.
And thank you to everyone who's worked so hard to make this campaign possible to the people who came from across the Labour movement, given their time, energy, and commitment, and to the many people in Camden who have never campaigned before, but chose to be part of something hopeful. You've shown what is possible when people come together in a common cause.
Honouring predecessors and future plans
I want to take a moment to recognise and thank the brilliant MPs who've represented Holborn and St Pancras previously before this moment, the late great Frank Dobson who served this community of an immense dedication and conviction. And Keir Starmer, who built on that legacy, representing this constituency for more than a decade of leading our party from opposition to government.
I am deeply, deeply grateful for their service that they've given to this community and for the foundations that they've left for the next generation to now have the privilege has taken on that mantle.
And to do so as the first woman to represent Holborn and St Pancras is an extraordinary honour. I sincerely thank here and the Dobson family, Joe, Tom, and Janet, for their support. For me, it is with pride and humility that I hope I can build on their legacy, and I will do everything I can to serve this constituency with the same purpose and dedication.
Homelessness is the issue that first drove me into politics, and no-one should be sleeping on the streets and no family should be left without security of a home. I want to work with the Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, and our Labour government to tackle rough sleeping while addressing the way the housing crisis so the people don't just get a roof over their heads, but the security and hope that comes with having a proper home.
Across this campaign, I've spoken about Thames Water and its appalling service, and I want to see Thames Water brought into public ownership so that it works for people and not profit.
As MP, I will fight for a water system that puts public interest first and gives people the confidence that essential services are being run for them.
I want to bring more opportunities to the Camden gave me to the next generation. I want more young people in Holborn and St Pancras to have access to good jobs, apprenticeships skills, and a chance to build a secure and prosperous future.
This place gave me hope and opportunity when my family needed it most, and I want every single person, young person in this community, whatever their backgrounds or circumstances, to feel that same opportunity belongs to them. A home instead of the street. A good job instead of insecurity. Public service that works with people instead of profit. An apprenticeship that opens the door.
That is the what I want to deliver for Holborn and St Pancras.
A call for unity and hope
And finally, I want to talk about some of the experiences that I've had over the last few weeks in Camden. Our diversity is a strength and our cohesion has been too hard-won to take for granted. Since I was a child, 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. Our campaign gave people something to believe in while offering a practical experience and determination to deliver it, and that is what this victory represents. Winning not by making people afraid of each other, but by bringing people together around a positive vision for what our community and our country can be.
Throughout our campaign, we chose hope and the people of Holborn and St Pancras chose it with us. And now it's time to deliver. Thank you so much.
