Green Party leader Zack Polanski has been selected to contest the Holborn and St Pancras by-election on 8 October, taking on Labour’s Sagal Abdi-Wali in the constituency formerly represented by Sir Keir Starmer.
Polanski, a London Assembly member, was chosen by Camden Green Party members over local councillor Hamza Chowdhury.
The selection gives the Green Party a prominent candidate in an inner London seat that Labour has held since the constituency was created in 1983. It is also likely to serve as an early assessment of Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s popularity and Labour’s ability to retain support in urban constituencies.
A contest in Starmer’s old seat
The by-election follows Sir Keir’s announcement that he would stand down as an MP to concentrate on a role in international affairs.
Polanski’s campaign will place him directly in the political arena once occupied by one of Britain’s most consequential recent Labour leaders. The seat’s history and profile make the contest more than a routine change of representative.
For Labour, the challenge is to defend a long-held London seat against a Green Party seeking to strengthen its position in the capital. For Polanski, the opportunity is to demonstrate that his party can do more than influence an election from the margins.
The Greens finished second to Labour in the Camden Council elections earlier this year, a result that gives Polanski a basis on which to argue that his party has growing support in the borough.
Polanski makes a bid to “replace Labour”
Polanski presented his selection as both a local campaign and a national statement.
He said voting Green would send a clear message to Camden Council and the government that residents “demand better for our communities”.
The party leader also said the contest was an opportunity to apply pressure to Burnham, while stressing that a Green MP would seek to work constructively with him.
Polanski said a Green representative would “work with him constructively to challenge him on the gaps in his plans”.
He acknowledged that the Greens face a difficult task in a constituency with deep Labour roots. Yet he argued that the party has momentum and should not be dismissed.
“We might be the underdog in this election but we have the momentum and we can win,” he said.
Polanski also emphasised his personal connection with the area, saying he made Camden his home when he moved to London 20 years ago and had lived and worked across Holborn and St Pancras for many years.
He said: “I love this place but I also know times are tough here in Holborn and St Pancras. My story of constantly moving around flats is such a common story for Londoners and I know so many people are struggling right now.”
That appeal to housing insecurity and the cost of living is likely to be central to the Green campaign. It gives Polanski a local issue around which to distinguish his party from Labour, particularly in a borough where council performance and housing pressures are highly visible.
Labour faces a test of its inner-city support
Labour’s candidate, Sagal Abdi-Wali, is Camden Council leader. Her selection reflects the importance of the constituency to the party and the value it places on retaining a strong local figure with a direct role in borough politics.
The by-election will test whether Labour’s historic strength in the seat remains intact. It will also reveal how far the Green Party’s gains in Camden have translated into support for parliamentary representation.
Hannah Spencer, the Green MP, said members had “overwhelmingly” chosen Polanski for the candidacy.
That level of support within the local party gives Polanski a strong mandate from members, although the views of party members will not necessarily match those of the wider electorate.
For Burnham’s Labour government, the result could offer an early indication of public mood. A narrow Labour victory would suggest resilience in a traditionally safe seat. A Green gain, or even a substantially reduced Labour majority, would point to growing dissatisfaction with the party’s performance and openness to alternatives.
Why it Matters
The Holborn and St Pancras by-election is significant because it brings together three political stories at once: Starmer’s departure from Parliament, Labour’s effort to maintain its grip on inner London, and the Green Party’s ambition to become a credible governing alternative. Polanski’s candidacy gives that contest national attention, while the issues he has highlighted — particularly housing and pressure on local services — are likely to shape the campaign. The result will offer an early measure of Burnham’s standing and of whether the Greens can convert local momentum into a parliamentary seat.
