Holborn & St Pancras hopefuls mingle at mosques — and ‘mask real issues’

A t a mosque tucked around the corner on Starcross Street in Euston, local Muslim men are attending Jummah, the congregational prayer held every Friday at midday. Outside, two political parties are waiting for them. “ George Galloway for Holborn & St Pancras,” says Peter Higgins, the Workers Party election agent and Galloway’s right-hand man. Most commented 1 Niqabs and burqas harm society, says Tory shadow minister Politics 156 comments 2 Zohran Mamdani has betrayed us over Israel, say young socialists US politics 52 comments 3 Trump: Let Iran take out LA or San Diego US politics 27 comments 4 August Hanning: Ex-German spy chief arrested for espionage and treason Europe 21 comments 5 Asos ‘hacked’: app customers receive alert suggesting data breach Companies & Markets 23 comments “As-salamu alaykum,” says Chris Williams, the Green Party’s head of elections, two steps up the road. “Vote Green!” Zack Polanski campaigns in Urdu for Holborn & St Pancras by-election For the next few minutes the two sides hand out leaflets to worshippers leaving the ShahJalal Masjid. Then, as the crowd thins, they pack up, cross the road, and 20 minutes later start again as another prayer is ending at the Euston Muslim Community Centre. Advertisement This is the battle for the Muslim vote in the Holborn & St Pancras by-election, where the contest to replace Sir Keir Starmer has become one of the strangest in recent history. Peter Higgins campaigns outside the mosque with Green Party counterparts Betty Laura Zapata for the times Palestine is everywhere in the campaign. Zack Polanski , the Green leader, appears on leaflets in front of a Palestinian flag, alongside endorsements from The Muslim Vote and Camden Muslim Alliance. Inside there are promises on boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel alongside attacks on Labour’s immigration policies, translated into Arabic, Bangla and Somali. Top stories 1 Andrew takes Thames Valley police to court over Jeffrey Epstein investigation Royal family Top stories 1 Six thrilling Costa Rica trips with Times Holidays Promoted content Galloway’s material goes further and his leaflet claims it “exposes” Polanski, who is Jewish, as opposing a Green motion declaring Zionism as racist . “No to Zionism, Zionism is racism, one state Palestine!”, it reads, beside a photograph of Galloway wearing a Palestinian scarf. Despite the campaigning tactics, the two sides cannot even agree on whether there is a Muslim vote to fight over. Higgins said: “No one has ever told us what precisely they mean by splitting the vote. If it’s the anti-Labour vote then everyone else is splitting that including Reform, Restore, or whoever else is on the ballot. If it’s the Muslim vote, then what lets them think they’re entitled to that, or that the Muslim vote is a monolithic entity in the first place?” Advertisement Mohamed, one of those leaving the mosque, was not impressed with either party. He told The Times: “I’d rather they focus on local things.” Targeting mosques is a direct tactic for the Greens. During an official Green Party training session Fesl Reza-Khan, a Manchester councillor and the party’s international co-ordinator, advised prospective candidates to identify community hubs where large numbers of voters could be reached quickly. In a recording obtained by The Times he said: “If you have a mosque, you can, in one hour, leaflet 500 to possibly 2,000 people — in one hour on a Friday.” Sagal Abdi-Wali arrived in London aged six as her family fled the Somali civil war Carl Court/getty images Elsewhere, the fight has become deeply personal. Sagal Abdi-Wali, Labour’s candidate, came to Britain from Somalia as a refugee and rose through Camden politics to lead the local council. The Times previously reported Green figures had suggested Labour had chosen a “black Muslim woman” for electoral reasons, while others have used her religion as an attack to question why she does not take the position of Gaza that they believe she should. Advertisement Robert Carter, a pro-Palestinian activist and journalist for the Muslim news website 5 Pillars, asked on X whether Abdi-Wali was a “British-Somalilander” and suggested it “might explain why she might have such little interest in expressing any solidarity with Palestine at all”. Carter was approached for comment. On the campaign trail in Kentish Town, Abdi-Wali met Sarah Sackman, left, MP for Finchley & Golders Green, and Harriet Harman Carl Court/getty images The Muslim Vote distributed materials comparing Polanski — described as “anti-Zionist” — with Abdi-Wali, who they labelled “Starmer’s pro-genocide” candidate. Another leaflet focuses on Jewish Labour councillor Izzy Lenga and pictures her alongside Abdi-Wali and says: “Is this the kind of MP you want?” Andrew Feinstein, who won 7,312 votes standing against Starmer in 2024 and is now backing Polanski, has repeatedly focussed on Abdi-Wali’s relationship with Lenga who previously took part in Marva, a two-month Israel Defence Forces basic training programme, and was pictured in uniform. In one post on X he said: “Exclusive: Labour Sagal-Abdi-Wali connection to Israeli army- photos included.” In another he described Lenga as “IDF-trained” and “very close” to Abdi-Wali. Paul Holden, a journalist who ran Feinstein’s previous campaign, has also posted photos of Lenga in Israeli uniform and stressed her relationship with Abdi-Wali. Lenga formally nominated Abdi-Wali to become leader of Camden council and was then vice-chairwoman of the Jewish Labour Movement. For Feinstein, he has said defeating Labour would be the “final kick in the teeth for Starmer and everything he stands for”. Advertisement Holden rejected any suggestion that his reporting had focused on Abdi-Wali’s sex and said her political record and relationship with Lenga was a legitimate subject for scrutiny. He said: “It is entirely appropriate to question whether a person’s political affiliation with other political actors means they share or endorse their views, or do not find them sufficiently objectionable to end that association.” Feinstein also rejected any suggestion his criticism of Abdi-Wali was personal. He said: “I believe that my criticisms of Sagal have been political in nature and not personal. The insinuation that I might be part of racist attacks based on the comment of someone who I don’t even know, is false, deeply offensive and defamatory. Racism has no place in politics or anywhere else. The racist attacks on Sagal are repulsive and indefensible.” He added: “I believe that it is quite legitimate to raise Sagal’s views on Palestine which are of great concern and interest to voters in the constituency during an ongoing genocide.” Labour figures also privately pointed to another feature of the campaign — that much of the personal scrutiny has been directed at women. They argue Abdi-Wali has been repeatedly framed through others’ views while Lenga’s politics and history have been used against her. Polanski has previously criticised personal attacks on Abdi-Wali. A sign showing support for Zack Polanski in a window in Bloomsbury Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock It has led to fever-pitch speculation about who is really behind the campaigning. Advertisement The Camden Muslim Alliance, the group which endorsed Polanski last month, had its X account created only hours before announcing its endorsement, and had no registration on Companies House or the Charity Commission. When Abdi-Wali did not turn up to hustings organised by the Camden Muslim Network in Somers Town, an empty chair was left in her place, while Polanski and Patrick Stillman, the Liberal Democrat candidate, did attend. Feinstein accused Abdi-Wali of refusing to engage with Muslim voters and later of lying about whether she had been invited, while Holden made the empty chair a repeated feature of his criticism. Labour sources said the event was regarded as hostile and potentially would be used to generate campaign material attacking Abdi-Wali. They also had concerns about her safety. Another hustings surrounding housing was being organised by Emma Dent Coad, the former Labour MP for Kensington, who contacted candidates to say she was helping local housing campaigners organise the event. She said she had been asked to chair it “as a long-time journalist and housing campaigner, with no political affiliation”. However, Dent Coad later appeared on a Green election leaflet under the headline: “We’re voting Green for Camden.” Her endorsement said: “I’ve known Zack Polanski for years. If you want an MP who has understanding, compassion and the determination to effect change, vote for Zack on October 8.” Dent Coad told The Times she did not have any affiliation when she was setting up the hustings — which ultimately did not go ahead — but she had only received responses from Polanski and the Liberal Democrat candidate. She said: “I gave him [Polanski] quite a grilling on housing and found him to have a very good grasp of Camden issues. His team then asked me to give a quote, which I did.” Politics newsletter Get our daily insider’s guide to Westminster, plus a rundown of PMQs every Wednesday. Sign up with one click You’ve successfully signed up to the Politics newsletter Explore our newsletters An error occurred. Please use the link below. Politics newsletter Explore our newsletters Polanski has also not escaped criticism. At a Board of Deputies hustings he faced a hostile reception during exchanges about Israel , Gaza and antisemitism after describing himself as an anti-Zionist . Green activists privately described the event afterwards as “traumatic” and worried about the prospect of damaging coverage. After the Greens voted on Sunday to back a motion declaring Zionism to be racist, Abdi-Wali said she had met at least one voter who had been considering voting Green but had switched to Labour . But on the ground voters tell of more local concerns — the constituency contains HS2 works around Euston, some of the country’s most expensive housing, and communities where the cost of renting has pushed families out of the area. For Mohamed the campaign masked the real issues faced by voters. He said: “Those people are using religion as a political tool.” A Labour campaign spokesman said they were proud of their “positive campaign” but acknowledged “disappointing comments from opposition campaigners, particularly online”. A Green Party spokesperson said: “We are incredibly proud of the campaign we have run in Holborn & St Pancras that has put the result on a knife edge. We have had thousands and thousands of conversations with voters about the local issues they care about, from the leasehold rip-off to sky-high rents, and HS2 and crime.” The Muslim Vote, the Camden Muslim Network and Camden Muslim Alliance were approached for comment.