Holborn and St Pancras by-election LIVE: Labour's Sagal Abdi-Wali wins in tough night for Zack Polanski
Labour’s Sagal Abdi-Wali has comfortably won the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, defeating Green Party leader Zack Polanski by more than 3,000 votes.
The Camden Council leader received 12,292 votes, with Mr Polanski coming second with 8,928.
Ewan Cameron of the Conservatives came third with 1,922 votes.
“Whether you voted for me or not my commitment to this community runs deep,” Ms Abdi-Wali said in a deeply personal acceptance speech.
“Now it’s time to deliver,” Ms Abdi-Wali she added.
Mr Polanski said he would “of course” continue as Green leader, following defeat and controversy over the party’s stance on Israel. “We are going to build and we are going to grow,” he said.
The Greens had conceded the result ahead of the declaration, which came around 3am on Friday.
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WATCH: Newly elected MP Sagal Abdi-Wali's speech in full
Sagal Abdi-Wali delivered a passionate victory speech, where she attributed her win to the success of diversity in the borough.
Ms Abdi-Wali thanked her predecessors, her parents, and the community in a personal speech on her journey from arriving in Camden as a refugee to now holding the “privilege” of representing the constituency in Westminster.
You can watch her full speech here:
Watch: Zack Polanski smiles despite defeat in Holborn and St Pancras by-election
Zack Polanski was in good spirits despite conceding defeat in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election.
The Green Party leader was spotted laughing and chatting with aides and colleagues ahead of the declaration.
While an official announcement had not been made at this point, the Green Party had said it looked likely that they would come second in the race.
What will happen to Zack Polanski now?
Eyes will now turn to Zack Polanski following his party’s defeat this morning.
The Green Party leader has insisted he will remain at the helm and has denied losing control of his party.
But questions are continuing to be raised about his leadership.
Caroline Lucas, former Green Party leader, was critical of Mr Polanski on BBC Newsnight yesterday, pointing to his failure to participate in the controversial Zionism motion at the party’s annual conference.
She told the BBC that Mr Polanski “should have been there and should have voted.”
Ms Lucas added: “Should he stand down? I think let’s just see what happens in the next, in the coming days and weeks.”
Following today’s result, Mr Polanski appeared to back the motion, but did not explicitly say whether he believed Zionism is racism.
'Thumping victory', says Labour MP and campaign lead
The Labour MP for Beckenham and Penge has hailed Ms Abdi-Wali’s win as a “thumping victory.”
Liam Conlon, who also served as Labour’s campaign lead for the by-election, celebrated today’s win in a post on social media.
'We're just getting started', says Green Party
The Green Party has been defeated by Labour’s Sagal Abdi-Wali, with party leader Zack Polanski losing out by more than 3,000 votes.
Despite this, Mr Polanski still plans on being at the helm of the party and has assured reporters at the declaration that the party is going to “build” and “grow.”
A Green Party spokesperson said: “We are disappointed to miss out tonight but any ideas of a return to the cosy two-party system is just wishful thinking on the part of the establishment. We are here to stay and just getting started.
“The voters have delivered a message to the Labour Government today. They want real change; they want rent controls, they want to see an end to the privatised water rip-off; and they want to see justice for Palestinians.
“On the climate crisis, Labour will not have an easy political ride if they bring in new North Sea drilling.”
Who is Sagal Abdi-Wali?
Newly elected MP Sagal Abdi-Wali has said her victory was a testament to the success of diversity in the borough.
Ms Abdi-Wali said: ““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.”
She first arrived in north London as a refugee from Somalia. It was the issue of homelessness which first drove her to politics and formed a major part of her campaign.
You can find out more about Sagal Abdi-Wali here:
Who is Sagal Abdi-Wali? New London MP who escaped civil war in Somalia as a child
Who is Sagal Abdi-Wali? Leader of Camden Council comfortably wins north London by-election
What was the turnout at the Holborn and St Pancras by-election?
The turnout in Thursday’s vote has been confirmed as 38.76% - around 27,309 ballot papers.
This is significantly lower than the turnout during the 2024 General Election, which was 54.1%.
It’s also lower than turnouts at other recent by-elections, such as the Makerfield by-election (58.7%) and the Gorton and Denton by-election (47.5%).
Pleasant surprise for Kemi Badenoch's Conservatives
Arguably, the Holborn and St Pancras by-election was always a two-horse race between Labour and the Greens.
But Kemi Badenoch’s Conservatives will have some reason to celebrate as the Tories performed better than expected, beating Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.
Ewan Cameron, the Conservative candidate, secured 1,922 votes to Reform’s 1,612.
Restore Britain trailed behind, winning just 692 votes.
Three party leaders have now run in by-elections in recent months
The last few months has seen an unusual moment for British politics with three party leaders having run in by-elections.
WATCH: By-election victory a testament to the success of diversity, says new Labour MP
As the Restore Britain candidate looked on, Ms Abdi-Wali said that her victory was a testament to the success of diversity in the borough.
She said: “In Camden our diversity is a strength and our cohesion has been too hard won to take for granted.
“We cannot allow that work built over generations to be casually undone by those who seek to divide us.”
