Labour held the Holborn and St Pancras seat, which Keir Starmer stood down from, in the by-election on October 8. Sagal Abdi-Wali, who arrived in Britain as a child refugee in the 1990s after fleeing war in Somalia and now leads the local council, was declared the winner in the early hours of Friday with 45 percent of the vote, against a third for Green leader Zack Polanski.
The contest became a two-horse race and an early test of Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s popularity. Labour has held the seat continuously since its creation in 1983, and the Greens have enjoyed a membership surge since Polanski became leader in September last year on a leftward, pro-Palestinian platform.
Polanski, who is Jewish, was barred from Israel earlier in October after his party backed a motion defining Zionism as racism, a row that framed the campaign. He told Sky News he would stay on as party leader despite the loss. A Green spokesperson called the result a “huge swing in one of Labour’s safest seats” and a message that voters want change on climate, rents and “justice for Palestinians.” For Labour, holding the seat is a relief; for the Greens, running second in a Labour stronghold is the headline they will carry into the next electoral test.