STORY
Labour has retained Holborn and St Pancras after Sagal Abdi-Wali defeated Green Party leader Zack Polanski in the parliamentary by-election. Abdi-Wali received 12,292 votes, representing 45.17 per cent of those cast, while Polanski finished second with 8,928 votes and 32.81 per cent. The result gave Labour a majority of 3,364.
The contest was triggered by the resignation of former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and had been regarded as an important electoral test for both Labour and the Greens. The Green Party’s vote share rose substantially from the 10.44 per cent it secured at the 2024 General Election, although independent candidate Andrew Feinstein had received a further 18.94 per cent at that contest and did not stand in the by-election. Labour’s share fell by 3.75 percentage points, while turnout declined to 38.76 per cent.
The result came shortly after the Green Party conference backed a controversial motion describing Zionism as racism, which prompted internal criticism and several resignations from the party. Polanski said after the count that he intended to remain as Green Party leader and argued that the result demonstrated the party’s growing ability to challenge Labour. Abdi-Wali described her election as a victory for diversity and said she wanted to address housing, homelessness and inequality in the constituency.
Full result
Sagal Abdi-Wali – Labour Party – 12,292 – 45.17 per cent
Zack Polanski – Green Party – 8,928 – 32.81 per cent
Ewan Cameron – Conservative Party – 1,922 – 7.06 per cent
Peter Newman – Reform UK – 1,612 – 5.92 per cent
Patrick Stillman – Liberal Democrats – 924 – 3.40 per cent
Tyler Kurtis Johnson – Restore Britain – 692 – 2.54 per cent
George Galloway – Workers Party – 314 – 1.15 per cent
Briony Anne Lonbay Kapoor – Rejoin EU – 236 – 0.87 per cent
Barmy Brunch – Official Monster Raving Loony Party – 87 – 0.32 per cent
Helen Spiby-Vann – Christian Peoples Alliance – 63 – 0.23 per cent
Clare Fischer – Climate Party – 51 – 0.19 per cent
Ben Walker – UKIP – 51 – 0.19 per cent
Ketankumar Pipaliya – UK Voice Safer and Stronger UK – 23 – 0.08 per cent
Jonathan Silberman – Communist League – 9 – 0.03 per cent
Tom Darwood – No party description – 7 – 0.03 per cent
Labour majority – 3,364
Turnout – 38.76 per cent
Rejected ballots – 108