Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali beats Zack Polanski to win Holborn and St Pancras by-election

Labour’s candidate in Keir Starmer's old seat has beaten Zack Polanski to win the Holborn and St Pancras by- election . Sagal Abdi-Wali, a former child refugee from Somalia, was elected in a seismic by-election sparked by the former PM quitting as an MP. The new Holborn and St Pancras MP beat the Green Party leader in the contest, winning 12,292 votes or 45%, with Mr Polanski in second with 8,928 or 33%. The Conservative candidate came in third, followed by Reform and the Lib Dems . Speaking after the victory, she said: "Whether you voted for me or not, my commitment to this community runs deep . I promise that I will work every day to do whatever I can, and all I can, to improve your life and to improve the life of you and your family. "This moment means something deeply personal to me, to represent the place that gave me a home, and my family a home, gave me opportunity, and helped shape the person I am today. Camden gave me a community and instilled in me a belief in social justice, in equality, and in fairness. "I hope this moment also says something about who gets to belong . For people who look like me, I hope they see themselves reflected in this place and know that their path too belongs here . This is Camden, and this is Britain." Voter turnout in Holborn and St Pancras was 38.76%, with 27,309 ballots cast. This was a significant drop from 2024's general election , when 56,786 people voted. The leader of Camden Council since May 2026, after being selected Ms Abdi-Wali faced criticism from Reform's Zia Yusuf over not being born in Britain in an attack Labour branded "straightforward racism". The result is a disaster for Mr Polanski, with a former Green leader earlier suggesting he could face a threat to his leadership if he lost. Asked by Sky News if he would stay on, Mr Polanski said: “Yes absolutely, that’s what leaders do.” He said: “I don’t think it was a mistake at all, I think it has been an opportunity to present Green Party values, to talk about rent controls, tackling the climate crisis, nationalising Thames Water, it’s been amazing to speak to people in Holborn and St Pancras, I’ve really enjoyed that.” It comes with Mr Polanski facing a growing fallout after members endorsed a motion equating Zionism with racism - with the head of a Jewish group saying she may quit, and the chair of Amnesty UK walking away. Vivien Lichtenstein, who chairs Jewish Greens, said she is considering leaving the party, while Sandy Ruthven, chairman of Amnesty UK, said the motion "marks the end of the line for me". Just after polls closed, Caroline Lucas, the former Green leader, refused to say if Mr Polanski should resign over his handling over the “zionism is racism’ motion. Appearing on Newsnight, she said: "I want him to speak now about what's happened, I want him to show the leadership that was frankly missing on Sunday. I think the jury is out about whether he will do that - but I very much hope he will." Follow our live blog for all the latest politics updates by clicking here .