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The north London seat has been a Labour stronghold since its formation in 1983, held by Frank Dobson for 32 years and Sir Keir for 11.
However, Green Party leader Zack Polanski is hoping to break Labour’s grip and secure his own seat in the House of Commons.
It could prove a defining moment for Mr Polanski’s leadership, after the party enjoyed record-breaking results in the May 2026 local elections, adding more than 440 councillors and gaining control of five councils.
However, the bookies’ favourite is Labour’s candidate, Camden Council leader Sagal Abdi-Wali, who Mr Burnham has said would make “a brilliant local MP”.
The election offers the prime minister a chance to show he is restoring voters’ faith in the Labour Party, after its poll ratings nosedived during Sir Keir’s time in No 10.
There are 13 other candidates in the by-election, including Tory candidate Ewan Cameron, Reform UK’s Peter Newman and the Liberal Democrats’ Patrick Thomas Stillman.
It’s just gone 11pm and counting is underway in Holborn and St Pancras.
I’m at the count, where we are expecting to find out whether Zack Polanski has pulled off a massive win as the result is declared in the early hours of the morning.
Representatives from almost all the parties in the race are also here, overseeing the counts that have begun.
If there’s not a recount, we should be getting a declaration between 2:30am and 4am. Stay tuned for more updates.
In pictures: Ballot papers are counted
Labour's deputy leader praises party's candidate
Labour has also issued a statement following the closing of polls, with deputy leader Lucy Powell saying the party’s candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali had “campaigned positively” on her vision to improve the area.
She said: “If the voters of Holborn and St. Pancras put their trust in Labour, I know that Sagal will work hard every day to make life better for each and every person across the constituency.”
Polanski says Greens ran 'a positive campaign full of energy'
In a statement issued as the polls close, Green Party leader Zack Polanski said his party had shown how far it had come to be “the main challenger” for Sir Keir Starmer’s former seat.
He also reflected on party’s campaign.
A Green Party spokesperson said: “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. We know that many want to give the new prime minister a chance and for the Greens to keep them on a progressive track, on issues like rent controls, water nationalisation and the climate crisis.
“Whether we win or lose, this evening, keeping the pressure on the Labour government to deliver on these priorities will be our focus."
Voting for the Holborn and St Pancras by-election has now closed.
The votes will now be counted, and results could be announced in the early hours of Friday morning.
By-election falls on difficult week for Green Party leader
The by-election has fallen on a difficult week for Zack Polanski, after the Green Party passed a controversial motion at its conference in Brighton asserting that “Zionism is racism”.
Mr 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”.
When will vote counting begin?
The count will begin after polling stations close at 10pm on Thursday.
The result of by-elections usually are announced in the early hours of the morning the following day.
In 2024, the result in the general election vote in Holborn and St Pancras was announced at 4.15am.
What time is the Holborn and St Pancras by-election announced and is there an exit poll?
The seat has been a Labour stronghold for 32 years, but dozens of candidates are standing for election, with the Green Party in particular hoping to break the decades-long streak as Zack Polanski eyes a seat in the House of Commons.
It could be a defining moment for Mr Polanski’s leadership of the party, which has seen a surge in membership and record-breaking results in the May 2026 local elections, gaining more than 440 councillors and gaining control of five councils.
Who is Labour's candidate today?
Ms Abdi-Wali has represented Camden Square as a councillor since 2022, and assumed leadership of the council in May.
Only two Labour MPs have ever represented Holborn and St Pancras: former health secretary Frank Dobson, from 1983 to 2015, then Sir Keir.
At the most recent general election in 2024, Sir Keir held the seat with 48.9 per cent of the vote, ahead of independent candidate Andrew Feinstein in second place on 18.9 per cent and the Greens in third on 10.4 per cent. The Conservatives came fourth on 7.2 per cent, Reform finished fifth on 6.1 per cent and the Liberal Democrats were sixth on 5.8 per cent.
Ms Abdi-Wali arrived in the UK as a child refugee from Somalia aged six and has lived in the area since she was a child, only leaving for a brief stint to study at university.
She has volunteered in the local community since she was a teenager, and has sought to make housing a key issue in her campaign.
Who is Restore Britain's candidate for the by-election?
Rupert Lowe’s party Restore Britain has selected lawyer Tyler Johnson to fight the by-election.
The party has publicly admitted they cannot win the contest, blaming “mass migration”.
Announcing his party’s candidate, Mr 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.”
