ABC News (US), on UK Politics, 9 October 2026

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UK's Labour wins a special election that puts Green Party leader under pressure

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LONDON -- Britain’s governing Labour Party was declared winner of a special election in London on Friday, dealing a blow to the leader of the fast-growing Green Party , who is facing a backlash over the party’s anti-Zionist stance and doubts about whether he can continue to lead the party from outside the House of Commons. Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali won the contest for Holborn and St. Pancras, the district left vacant by the resignation of former Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with 12,292 votes, 45% of the total.

Green leader Zack Polanski got 8,928 votes, just under 33%. Abdi-Wali, who came to Britain from Somalia as a child refugee, said after the result was announced that she was honored to represent an area that had given her opportunities in life. “I hope this moment also says something about who gets to belong,” said Abdi-Wali, leader of the local authority, Camden Council. “For people who look like me, I hope they see themselves reflected in this place and know that their path too belongs here.”

The Greens have grown rapidly under the “eco-populist” Polanski, broadening their message beyond environmental concerns to focus on issues including the cost of living, legalization of drugs and support for the Palestinian cause. They have positioned themselves as an alternative to Labour for left-liberal voters, and gained momentum when they beat Labour in a special election last year. Popular Reads Iran live updates: Saudi Arabia says 2 of its airports were damaged in strikes Oct 6 Iran live updates: Trump says US won't attack Iran again ahead of midterms 19 hours ago Russia launches 'massive' attack overnight on Ukraine Oct 7 But some members think the party has moved too far from its environmentalist roots , and Polanski’s campaign was overshadowed by the Green Party’s decision earlier this month to declare Zionism, the political movement for a Jewish homeland, a form of racism.

The motion, approved by a vote of party members, . Israel declared the motion antisemitic and barred Polanski, who is Jewish, from entering the country. Polanski told Sky News on Friday that it is “difficult being leader of any party, particularly the Green Party.” “But I signed up for that difficult job and I’m more than ready to continue,” he said.

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What we found (1)

ABC News reports Labour's win in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election accurately, with vote figures that match other coverage and attributed quotes from both main candidates. Its passage on the Green Party's Zionism motion gives only the motion's critics a voice, so readers learn who condemned it but never why members backed it.

  1. One side gets the space

    Minor

    “has been condemned by most elected Green lawmakers, divided the party and alarmed many British Jews”

    Why this matters
    The article lists only those who opposed the motion: Green lawmakers who condemned it, British Jews it says were alarmed, and in the next sentence Israel, which called it antisemitic. No member who voted for it, and no reason they gave, appears anywhere in the piece.
    The impression it gives
    A reader comes away thinking the motion has almost no defenders and that the case against it is the only case there is.
    The context
    Members passed the motion by 1,022 votes to 813, so a clear majority of those voting backed it. The article never gives that margin and never quotes anyone who supported it or explains the argument tied to Gaza. The opposing side fills the passage.

    How we know

    • On the recordOn 4 October 2026 Green Party members voted 1,022 to 813 for a motion stating that Zionism is racism.newscord.org (opens in a new tab)
    • Elsewhere in the article“Israel declared the motion antisemitic”
    • Checked against the whole articleIt never uses the words “Gaza” and “1,022”.

    Show it in the article

What it gets right

  • “Zionism, the political movement for a Jewish homeland”

    It defines Zionism as a political movement, which tells the reader that the motion concerns a political ideology rather than Jewish people.

  • “Israel declared the motion antisemitic”

    It attributes the charge of antisemitism to the Israeli government and does not adopt it in its own voice.

  • “approved by a vote of party members”

    It describes the motion as a vote of party members. The New York Times, by contrast, called it the act of a small group of activists.

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