The Labour Party has secured victory in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, defeating a challenge from the left-wing Green Party in a result seen as a significant boost for British Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
Sagal Abdi-Wali, the local council leader and Labour’s candidate, won the central London seat—which was vacated by former leader Keir Starmer—with 12,292 votes. Green Party leader Zack Polanski finished second with 8,928 votes.
The win, which was widely anticipated, strengthens Burnham’s position among lawmakers who recently installed him in the premiership to counter growing fears that Prime Minister Starmer’s unpopularity could pave the way for a challenge from the populist Reform UK party in the next general election.
Labour had lost some left-wing support to the Greens earlier this year, but this result suggests many voters have returned to the party. The outcome has intensified scrutiny on Polanski, who had vowed to transform the Greens into an “eco-populist” movement. While the party has grown from one MP in 2023 to five today, Polanski faced criticism after members passed a motion at their annual conference equating Zionism with racism.
The motion, which called for the establishment of a single democratic Palestinian state across all of historic Palestine, drew condemnation from Jewish groups, other political parties, and most Green lawmakers. Polanski did not cast a vote on the motion.
Abdi-Wali, who arrived in the UK as a child refugee from Somalia, celebrated the result as a rejection of division. “We have a responsibility to defend what we’ve built and pass it on,” she said. Labour has held the Holborn seat since it was created in 1983.
Following the concession, Polanski announced he would remain as party leader, characterizing the result as part of “Andy Burnham’s honeymoon.” He noted that while one in three voters supported the Greens, many more had considered doing so.
Voter dynamics in the constituency have shifted significantly due to the war in Gaza, with the Greens gaining ground in the 2024 general election for being more critical of Israel’s conduct than any other party. In that election, Starmer won with 49 percent of the vote, while pro-Palestine independent candidate Andrew Feinstein took second place with 19 percent.
As a child refugee myself, I found Abdi-Wali’s victory incredibly inspiring. This represents exactly the kind of leadership we need.
Interesting that Burnham is already credited with Starmer’s decline. Is he really that popular, or just riding the honeymoon wave?