Holborn & St Pancras by-election: results expected as polls close

UK Politics Live Holborn & St Pancras by-election: results expected as polls close The Green Party leader Zack Polanski is vying with Labour’s Sagal Abdi-Wali to win Sir Keir Starmer’s old seat Peter Chappell and Seren Hughes Share Share this article Email Twitter Facebook Link Save Ballot papers in the Holborn & St Pancras by-election are counted at the headquarters of Camden council Jordan Pettitt/PA What you need to know Results for the Holborn & St Pancras by-election are expected early on Friday morning Zack Polanski hopes to win the Green Party’s first London seat but endured a tough week as a row over Zionism split his party Fifteen candidates are standing in the constituency, vacated when Sir Keir Starmer stood down from the House of Commons last month Labour remains the favourite to win the north London seat that has been held by the party since its creation in 1983 For updates listen to Times Radio Watch: the by-election count live at Camden town hall 16 minutes ago 1:55am October 9 Labour confident of holding seat Labour sources said they were are cautiously confident the party would hold the seat, which has had a Labour MP since it was created in 1983. Meanwhile, the Greens believe they have tripled their vote share since the last election and say they are ahead in some wards. Party sources stressed that this has long been a safe Labour seat and they would not have been in the mix a year ago. But after good ground campaign for Zack Polanski they believe there has been a strong swing to the Greens. 24 minutes ago 1:47am October 9 Loony candidate causes a stir Seren Hughes Counting is well under way at the Camden council headquarters. The mood is generally calm, as party activists mill around and observe the count. There was a brief moment of excitement when the first candidate arrived: Barmy Brunch, wearing a baked beans balaclava and accompanied by his entourage from the Monster Raving Loony Party. The result is expected in the next few hours, although exact timings are unclear. At the 2024 general election the result was declared at 4.15am. 32 minutes ago 1:39am October 9 Lucas: Polanski needs to show leadership The Green Party’s first MP has said it was a “mistake” that Zack Polanski did not vote on the “Zionism is racism” motion at his party’s conference last weekend. Caroline Lucas, who had three stints as party leader between 2003 and 2018, told BBC Newsnight : “I would have hoped he would have been a very strong critic of this motion. The motion was flawed from top to bottom — in my view it is dangerous, it is divisive.” Asked if Polanski should resign over the issue, Lucas said: “I think let’s just see what happens in the coming days and weeks.” She added: “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.” Advertisement 47 minutes ago 1:24am October 9 Greens targeted mosques to court Muslim vote Palestine was everywhere in the campaign. Zack Polanski, the Green leader, appeared on leaflets in front of a Palestinian flag, alongside endorsements from The Muslim Vote and Camden Muslim Alliance. Inside there were promises on boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel alongside attacks on Labour’s immigration policies, translated into Arabic, Bangla and Somali. 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. Read in full: Holborn & St Pancras hopefuls mingle at mosques — and ‘mask real issues’ 1 hour ago 12:55am October 9 Turnout below 40 per cent Turnout for the by-election was 38.8 per cent, down from 54.1 per cent at the general election in 2024. Turnout is typically lower at by-elections than at general elections. According to the Institute for Government, this is because “voters may believe the stakes to be lower at by-elections, as they do not usually affect which party forms the government of the day.” By comparison, the Makerfield by-election in June, won by Andy Burnham, had an unusually high turnout of 58.8 per cent. The Gorton & Denton by-election in February, won by the Greens, had a turnout of 47.5 per cent. 2 hours ago 12:11am October 9 Zionism row ‘cost the Greens votes’ Activists from rival parties claimed the Green Party’s decision to define Zionism as a form of racism had cost them votes in the by-election. Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors said voters had told them they would not support the Greens after a motion was passed at the party’s conference last weekend. One councillor said people had been “clearly angry” about the issue. Andy Burnham, the prime minister, has called on Zack Polanski, the party leader and candidate in Holborn & St Pancras, to reverse the policy. The Greens said “no one will be made unwelcome because of their background, their faith, or where they worship”. Advertisement 2 hours ago 11:43pm October 8 Somali refugee ‘tells Labour’s story of hope’ The Labour Party also released a statement, praising their candidate and other campaigners who “have been telling our Labour story of hope”. Lucy Powell, the deputy leader, said: “Sagal came to Britain as a child refugee, fleeing a war-torn country. Educated in great Labour Camden schools, she’s been giving back to her local community ever since.” 3 hours ago 11:37pm October 8 Greens: This shows how far we’ve come The Green Party issued a statement after polls closed, appearing to accept likely defeat and saying they stood “in solidarity” with the Labour candidate. The statement said Zack Polanski wished to “pay tribute to Sagal [Abdi-Wali] for a respectful campaign and for rising above the appalling racism she has had to endure”. It added: “We know that many want to give the new prime minister a chance and for the Greens to keep them on a progressive track. “Whatever the result later, we’ve run a positive campaign full of energy in what is one of Labour’s safest seats. To be the main challenger shows how far the Greens have come.” 3 hours ago 11:05pm October 8 Count gets under way Carl Court/Getty Images The counting of votes will now begin after polling stations closed at 10pm on Thursday. The results of by-elections are usually announced in the early hours of the following day. In the 2024 general election, the result in Holborn & St Pancras was announced at 4.15am. Sir Keir Starmer won the seat with 18,884 votes (48.9 per cent), a much smaller majority than five years earlier. Andrew Feinstein, a pro-Palestinian independent, was runner-up with 7,312 votes (18.9 per cent), and the Green candidate was third with 4,030 votes (10.4 per cent). Advertisement 3 hours ago 10:59pm October 8 Sadiq Khan campaigns for Labour Sagal Abdi-Wali’s campaign brought some of the Labour Party’s most recognisable figures to the streets of Camden. Lord Khan of Tooting, the mayor of London, urged residents to “vote for hope” as he walked alongside her on the campaign trail on Thursday. “Let’s get out there and do this!”, Abdi-Wali said. For Hope. For Camden. Vote Labour today 🌹🗳️ pic.twitter.com/6i2R1Nt6uA — Sagal Abdi-Wali (@Sagal_AW) October 8, 2026 3 hours ago 10:54pm October 8 By-election a ‘free hit’ to reject migration, says Lowe Rupert Lowe, leader of the hard-right Restore Britain, called on voters to reject pro-Palestinian protests and say “enough of this bullshit” as he posted his support for the party’s candidate before polls closed. Tyler Johnson, a lawyer, is not expected to do well in the contest and blamed “mass migration” for his lack of support. Announcing his party’s candidate, Lowe said: “We are being honest with the voters about this election. Entirely because of mass immigration, this is not a seat a party promising deportations of any kind can win. That’s just the electoral reality. For now, at least. “So for the remaining patriots in Holborn & St Pancras, this is a free hit. An opportunity to send a message, the most powerful message, that you want your capital city back.” Just over 90 minutes to vote Restore Britain in Holborn & St Pancras to say enough of this bullshit on our streets. pic.twitter.com/YpAgdFaVRD — Rupert Lowe MP (@RupertLowe10) October 8, 2026 3 hours ago 10:47pm October 8 George Galloway among 15 candidates The high-profile seat, vacated by the former prime minister, has attracted a large number of candidates. Among them is George Galloway of the Workers Party of Britain, even though he lives overseas in what he describes as “self-exile”. The full list: Sagal Abdi-Wali , Labour Party Barmy Brunch , Official Monster Raving Loony Party Ewan Cameron , Conservative Party Tom Darwood , Independent Clare Fischer , Climate Party George Galloway , Workers Party Tyler Johnson , Restore Britain Briony Kapoor , Rejoin EU Party Peter Newman , Reform UK Ketankumar Pipaliya , UK Voice Safer and Stronger UK Zack Polanski , Green Party Jonathan Silberman , Communist League Helen Spiby-Vann , Christian Peoples Alliance Patrick Stillman , Liberal Democrats Ben Walker , UK Independence Party Advertisement 3 hours ago 10:44pm October 8 ‘Vote for hope’ Labour’s candidate, Sagal Abdi-Wali, was out campaigning on Thursday evening in an effort to get out the vote with less than two hours until polls closed. The leader of the local council urged supporters to “vote for hope” while brandishing campaign literature. LESS THAN TWO HOURS LEFT! 🕗 But that's still plenty of time to get to the polls. Please make sure to use your vote for Labour by 10pm pic.twitter.com/GDM5DQHtd3 — Sagal Abdi-Wali (@Sagal_AW) October 8, 2026 3 hours ago 10:43pm October 8 ‘A Green voice for Camden’: Polanski’s pitch to voters The Green leader told supports on Thursday that the by-election was “looking close”. He said: “We already have a Labour government, a Labour council and a Labour mayor. “Isn’t it time for a Green voice for Camden to push Labour to do better on issues like rent controls and to put Thames Water into public ownership — issues where they’ve been backtracking? “On the climate crisis, today is the day to say clearly to Labour, no new drilling in the North Sea — a decision they chose to delay until after the by-election result. That makes your vote powerful.” 4 hours ago 10:41pm October 8 Polanski’s difficult week Zack Polanski at the Green Party conference in Brighton last weekend Carlos Jasso/Reuters Winning would crown a hugely successful first year as leader for Polanksi, who has overseen a surge in membership and record-breaking results in the local elections in May. The Greens gained more than 440 councillors and won control of five councils. He has radically changed the party’s messaging, focusing on populist messages that connect with a younger, online audience. But it has been a difficult week for Polanski after members at his party’s conference in Brighton passed a motion asserting that “Zionism is racism”, which immediately became party policy. Polanski, who abstained on the vote, later said that he will “not accept any exclusion, or refusal to engage with anyone, because of the religious or communal body they are part of”. Advertisement 4 hours ago 10:40pm October 8 Polls close in crucial by-election Counting is due to get under way after polls closed in the Holborn & St Pancras by-election. Zack Polanski, the Green Party leader, is vying to win Sir Keir Starmer’s former seat — which has been held by Labour since 1983 — and claimed the contest was “close”. Labour’s candidate, Sagal Abdi-Wali, the leader of Camden council, remains the favourite to win. Andy Burnham issued a last-minute plea for voters to get out and cast a ballot. He said: “Today, hope can win. But