Labour has held Holborn and St Pancras, the seat Sir Keir Starmer vacated on leaving politics, after Sagal Abdi-Wali saw off a determined challenge from the Green Party leader Zack Polanski in a contest that became the first verdict of the ballot box on the Burnham premiership.
The result was declared at Camden Town Hall shortly before five o'clock this morning, after a count that ran through the night. Ms Abdi-Wali, a former Camden councillor, secured a reduced but comfortable majority, with Mr Polanski taking just under 33 per cent of the vote, the strongest Green performance in the constituency's history but not enough to repeat February's Gorton and Denton upset.
In her victory speech, the new MP thanked voters for "putting their trust in a local champion" and said the constituency had chosen "hope over division, and delivery over protest". She becomes the first person since 1983 other than Sir Keir to represent Holborn and St Pancras at Westminster.
The Result at a Glance
- Sagal Abdi-Wali holds Holborn and St Pancras for Labour, retaining the seat vacated by Sir Keir Starmer.
- Green leader Zack Polanski finished second with just under 33 per cent of the vote, a record Green share in the seat.
- Sir Keir won a majority of 11,500 at the 2024 general election; Labour's margin was reduced but comfortable.
- The contest was the first parliamentary by-election since Andy Burnham became Prime Minister in July.
- Mr Polanski confirmed he "absolutely" intends to remain Green Party leader despite the defeat.
- Turnout was down sharply on the general election, as is customary in by-elections.
Relief in Downing Street
For the Prime Minister, who learned of the result in Berlin after his security talks with Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the hold is a significant early vindication. Mr Burnham's allies argued during the campaign that he was uniquely placed to see off challenges from both the Green left and the Reform right, and the party will point to this result, alongside his own victory in Makerfield in June, as evidence for that claim.
Polling had suggested the race was tightening in its final days, with the Greens flooding the constituency with activists and targeting younger voters angered by housing costs. Labour strategists conceded privately that the majority would be cut, but insisted throughout that their ground operation in Camden, built over four decades of continuous representation, would prove decisive.
What it means for the Greens
Mr Polanski was quick to frame the result as progress rather than defeat. Speaking after the declaration, he confirmed that he "absolutely" intends to continue as Green leader, arguing that taking a third of the vote in a seat Labour has never lost showed his party could compete in metropolitan England at the next general election, which must be held by August 2029.
The Greens leave London with their national profile raised but without the second parliamentary by-election victory that would have transformed their standing. For Labour, the deeper questions posed by the campaign, about rents, the environment and the loyalty of younger urban voters, will follow the Government long after the rosettes are packed away.