Labour and Greens contest Starmer's old London seat

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 8 Oct, 17:00 · Archive

Voters in Holborn and St Pancras are choosing a new MP to replace Keir Starmer, with Labour's Sagal Abdi-Wali competing against Green leader Zack Polanski.

Voters in Holborn and St Pancras, a London seat held by Labour continuously since 1983, are choosing a new MP to replace Keir Starmer, who resigned as Prime Minister in July and vacated the seat.

The race is between Labour's Sagal Abdi-Wali, a local council leader who arrived in Britain as a child refugee from Somalia in the 1990s, and Zack Polanski, the 43-year-old Green Party leader who became party leader in September of last year. Thousands of activists from both parties have been canvassing ahead of polling day.

The by-election is considered a significant test for Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Labour's popularity among left-wing voters plunged over the war in Gaza, contributing to poor local election results in May in which the Greens made gains in London areas. Burnham has since adopted a tougher position on Israel and is promoting a more left-wing vision for the UK. The Greens have seen their membership surge and record-breaking results in May, gaining more than 440 councillors and control of five councils, though their popularity has begun to dip as some Labour voters have returned to the party.

Polanski acknowledged ahead of polling that the race is 'looking close'. However, Labour sources are understood to be confident. Polls close at 10pm on Thursday, with results expected in the early hours of Friday.

How it is being reported

• London voters go to polls for Holborn and St Pancras by-electionThe vote in London's Holborn and St Pancras parliamentary seat tests whether Burnham can restore faith in Labour.Al Jazeera · 8 Oct, 16:19
• Voters head to polls as Labour and Greens battle out crunch by-election to replace Keir Starmer as MPVoters are casting their ballots before polls shut at 10pm on Thursday in the by-election to elect a new MP in Keir Starmer's old seat, Holborn and St Pancras in LondonThe Mirror · 8 Oct, 13:47

In this story: Keir Starmer · Sagal Abdi-Wali · Zack Polanski · Andy Burnham · Labour · Green Party · Holborn and St Pancras · London

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem