Polanski loses by-election following controversial Zionism vote

The Green Party leaded failed in his bid to replace former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer as MP for Holborn and St Pancras reports Josef Steen, Local Democracy Reporter

A smiling woman in a headscarf with other smiling people in the background — Sagal Abdi-Wali celebrates her by-election victory – (Credit MyLondon/LDRS)

Labour has won the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, with Sagal Abdi-Wali elected to represent the constituency following Keir Starmer’s resignation as MP.

Green Party leader Zack Polanski, who ran as the party’s candidate in a high-profile contest, came second with 33% of the vote against Labour’s 45%. Celebrating victory, Abdi-Wali said she would “relentlessly fight to be a voice” for the borough and pledged to tackle homelessness.

Polanski stood as a candidate with the hope of becoming the Greens’ sixth MP, but lost by a 12-point margin on a turnout of 38.8 per cent.

His party conceded defeat 30 minutes before the result was declared. Polanski exited the building shortly after the declaration, having given one brief pooled interview.

The election is the first test for Greens since its conference backed a controversial motion stating ‘Zionism is Racism’ at its party conference on Sunday. The vote attracted significant criticism from the party’s political opponents in Barnet.

Polanski exited the building shortly after the declaration, having given one brief pooled interview.

Cllr Abdi-Wali, who has led the council for four months, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) she would prioritise bringing more opportunities for young people and eradicating homelessness “from day one”.

Her ascension to the council leadership came amid significant losses for Labour in the May elections, which saw her local party lose 17 seats but keep control of the borough.

She added that she stood to become MP because of what she saw during her brief tenure as council leader, and that this experience would make her a stronger representative in the House of Commons. Prior to the May elections, she was Camden’s Cabinet Member for Better Homes.

Labour insiders chalked up their candidate’s victory to their “positive” and localised campaign, though the LDRS spoke to one activist who admitted she had been careful throughout the race.

The Conservatives came in third with 1,922 votes, followed by Reform UK with 1,612. The Liberal Democrats trailed in fifth with 924 votes.

The contest was perceived as a key test for Polanski, whose campaign has this week been overshadowed by his party passing a controversial motion that defined Zionism as “racism”.

The Labour victory comes amid a poll bounce for the party since Andy Burnham replaced Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister.

Despite insisting that he would stay on as MP, Starmer triggered the by-election in September when he resigned. He was first elected to represent the constituency in 2015.

Abdi-Wali first came to Camden as a child refugee fleeing war-torn Somalia. She later became involved in local politics and was elected to the council in 2022. In May, the party selected her to succeed Richard Olszewski, who lost his seat in the Holborn and Covent Garden ward at the local elections after switching seats.

Polanski previously told the LDRS he would resign his London Assembly seat if he were to win the election.

The Greens said they had achieved a “huge swing in one of Labour’s safest seats”, having boosted their vote share by 22 per cent since the general election in 2024.

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.”

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