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Starmer seat vacancy
Green Party leader Zack Polanski confirmed he wants to stand in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election brought about by Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation as an MP.
“Zack Polanski has confirmed he wants to stand in the by-election brought about by Sir Keir Starmer's resignation as an MP”
Polanski told the Camden New Journal, "I have lived and worked in this community over many years, I know it well and I love it," as he said he was "so excited by the prospect" of being the first Green MP for the area.
The BBC said the by-election is set up by Starmer quitting as MP for the London constituency after he stood down as prime minister two months earlier, setting up a challenging by-election for his successor Andy Burnham.
The BBC also reported that Starmer had previously said he would stay on as an MP until the next UK general election, which is not due until 2029, and that he said it was the "right time" to "pass the baton to a successor."
Campaign pitch and contest
Polanski framed the contest as a fight over who stands up for people, telling the Camden New Journal that he would "stand up for people struggling to pay their bills" if elected as the representative for Holborn and St Pancras.
The Telegraph reported Polanski vowed to "stand up for people struggling to pay their bills" and said he would put himself forward as the Green candidate before the party’s democratic selection process next week.
The BBC said Polanski’s comments suggest local party members will select him, while it also noted reports of splits among local Green activists, including some said to favour a Palestinian candidate or a pro-Gaza independent.
The BBC added that it is currently unclear whether Andrew Feinstein, the independent runner-up to Sir Keir in the constituency at the 2024 general election, will stand too, which could split the vote.
What’s at stake locally
The BBC described Holborn and St Pancras as a Labour stronghold until now, saying the Greens are targeting the seat after coming second to Labour in the area in local elections earlier this year.
“Labour has held this inner London constituency continuously since the seat was created in 1983”
The Independent reported that while Labour has held the inner London constituency continuously since the seat was created in 1983, Sir Keir won 64.5 per cent of the vote in 2019 and 48.9 per cent in 2024, with his majority falling from 27,763 to 11,572.
The Independent also set out the 2024 result in which independent candidate Andrew Feinstein took 18.9 per cent and the Greens took 10.4 per cent, with the Conservatives on 7.2 per cent, Reform on 6.1 per cent, and the Liberal Democrats on 5.8 per cent.
The BBC said Labour has not decided its candidate to potentially take on Polanski, with applications closing on Friday, and it reported that a date for the by-election has not yet been set.