Labour hopeful Sagal Abdi-Wali faces Green leader Zack Polanski in London by-election
In the Holborn & St. Pancras by-election, Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali, a Somali-born councillor, competes against Green Party leader Zack Polanski.
Keir Starmer’s resignation from his Holborn & St. Pancras constituency has triggered a by-election featuring Labour’s Sagal Abdi-Wali and Green Party chair Zack Polanski. Abdi-Wali, a 42-year-old Somali-British who grew up in Kentish Town, has served on Camden Council for four years and now hopes to break new ground as the first Black East African woman MP. Polanski, currently on the London Assembly, presents a left-populist platform that emphasizes environmental issues, support for Gaza and an anti-Zionist stance adopted by the party.
His campaign highlights his Jewish and gay identity and includes outreach to Muslim communities, even using Urdu in a video. Voters in the diverse constituency, ranging from Covent Garden to Highgate, are being courted by both sides, with Labour focusing on housing and social services and the Greens positioning themselves as the only force to push Labour toward change.
Why it matters
The race could determine whether a historic first-time MP is elected and test the Green Party’s growing influence in a key London seat.
How this story developed
- Sep 22 Green Party leader clashes with pro-Palestinian motion calling for Israel's dissolution
- Oct 2 Polanski publicly declared an anti‑Zionist stance at a hustings event.
- Oct 4 The conference established a locked safe room for Jewish participants amid the Zionism debate.
- Oct 4 The motion passed with 1,022 votes for and 813 against, adopting language that labels Zionism as racism and endorses a single democratic Palestinian state throughout historic Palestine.
- Oct 5 Israel’s foreign ministry announced a ban on Green Party leader Zack Polanski from entering Israel.
- Oct 5 Labour MP Emily Thornberry called on Britain to defy Israel’s directive to close its consulate in East Jerusalem, calling the move illegal retaliation.
- Oct 6 Powell’s talks concluded without an agreement before the 30‑day deadline.
In this story
Related stories
24 in this thread