Labour Wins Key London By-election as Greens Fall Short

Published: 09 October 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online

Britain’s Labour Party has won the closely watched Holborn and St Pancras by-election, defeating the Green Party in a contest that could influence the balance of power on the political left and shape the government’s standing in London. Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali secured 12,292 votes, representing 45% of the total, while Green Party leader Zack Polanski finished second with 8,928 votes, or 33%. The result provides a significant boost for Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who faced an important electoral test after taking over from Keir Starmer.

The contest attracted national attention because it was widely viewed as a direct struggle between Labour and the Greens for progressive voters. The seat became vacant after Starmer resigned as its member of parliament in September. Although Labour retained the constituency, the low turnout and the Greens’ substantial share of the vote suggest that the political competition in urban areas remains unsettled. The outcome also arrives after a difficult week for Polanski’s party, which has faced internal divisions over its position on Zionism and Israel.

Abdi-Wali’s victory speech brought a personal dimension to the result. A former child refugee who arrived in Britain from Somalia during the 1990s, she used her first remarks after the declaration to challenge rhetoric that questions the national belonging of people from immigrant backgrounds. Her comments appeared to respond to Reform UK figure Zia Yusuf, who had suggested shortly after the by-election was announced that she was not British.

“I hope this moment says something about who gets to belong,” Abdi-Wali said, reflecting on the significance of her election for people who share her background. She added that she hoped others would see themselves represented in Parliament and understand that they, too, had a place in British public life. Her message connected the electoral result with wider questions about identity, immigration and the meaning of belonging in contemporary Britain.

For Labour, retaining the seat offers reassurance at a time when the party is seeking to rebuild public confidence after the difficulties of Starmer’s leadership. Burnham’s first major electoral test as prime minister had drawn particular attention because the Greens have been attempting to establish themselves as a stronger alternative for voters dissatisfied with Labour. The result reinforces polling suggesting that Labour has recovered some support under Burnham, although one by-election cannot establish whether that improvement will translate into lasting national momentum.

Turnout, however, presented a more complicated picture. Only 38.7% of eligible voters participated, the lowest figure for an English by-election during the current parliament and 15.4 percentage points below the turnout recorded in 2024. The limited participation raises questions about the depth of Labour’s recovery and the extent to which either party can mobilise voters in areas where progressive politics is strongly contested.

London remains an important battleground. The Greens made significant advances in May’s local elections, taking control of three councils and demonstrating that dissatisfaction with the established parties can translate into electoral gains. Their strong campaign in Holborn and St Pancras showed that they retain an organised presence, even though their candidate could not overcome Labour’s lead.

The Greens deployed thousands of members to canvass homes across the constituency, with campaigning efforts beginning before Polanski was selected as the candidate. The scale of the operation reflected the party’s ambition to turn its growing profile into parliamentary representation. For much of the campaign, the race was presented as a two-way contest, with Labour defending a seat closely associated with Starmer and the Greens seeking to capitalise on discontent among progressive voters.

The defeat nevertheless comes at a difficult moment for Polanski. His party was already facing scrutiny after members voted at a conference on Sunday to adopt a policy declaring Zionism a form of racism. The motion also called for Israel to be replaced by a single Palestinian state. The decision provoked debate within the party, including criticism from four of its five MPs, and raised questions about the leadership’s ability to manage disagreements over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The controversy has been particularly sensitive because the Green Party includes members with different views about Zionism, Israel and Palestinian statehood. The head of the Jewish Greens condemned the conference motion and said she might leave the party, although some Jewish members supported the policy. The disagreement has highlighted the difficulty of reconciling strong support for Palestinian rights with the need to address concerns about antisemitism and the diversity of Jewish political perspectives.

Former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas declined to say directly whether Polanski should resign after the by-election result. Speaking to BBC Newsnight, she said she wanted him to demonstrate the leadership that she believed had been missing when the controversial motion was considered. Her remarks suggested that concern about the party’s handling of the issue extends beyond its immediate electoral performance.

Polanski, however, rejected suggestions that the loss should end his leadership. He pointed to the party’s membership of approximately 220,000 and argued that its broader political movement was larger than one election or one conference decision. He maintained that the Greens could continue to expand despite the setback in north London.

Asked about his own views on Zionism, Polanski said he had grown up in a Zionist household and had been taught the idea that the region was a land without a people for a people without a land. He said that, after educating himself, he no longer believed that account was true. He also described the situation in Gaza as involving genocide and the displacement of Palestinians, arguing that the treatment of Palestinians was clearly racist. His comments illustrated the political and historical questions at the centre of the controversy, although his party’s internal dispute remains unresolved.

Abdi-Wali also addressed the conference motion after her victory. Speaking to The Guardian, she said people she had encountered at school gates viewed the Greens’ position as divisive. She argued that the debate reflected a broader pattern of polarised political discourse and said she did not want to engage in that kind of division.

On Labour’s approach to Palestine, she said the work of Energy Secretary Ed Miliband on Gaza, Palestine and Israel had resonated with local voters. She suggested that people had responded to practical action rather than statements alone. Her comments indicated that Labour’s position on the conflict was an important issue during the campaign, even as the Green Party’s internal debate attracted considerable attention.

The Greens’ popularity had already weakened in recent months after reaching a high point last summer. Polanski’s personal approval ratings had also declined, following a period when the party appeared capable of challenging Labour more directly. The Greens’ victory in the Gorton and Denton by-election in February had demonstrated their potential to make significant advances, but the result in Holborn and St Pancras suggests that their momentum is not uniform across constituencies.

Labour campaign leader Liam Conlon, the MP for Beckenham and Penge, argued that the party had performed better than it did in the local elections in May. He presented the result as evidence that Labour was moving in the right direction. Yet the turnout figures mean that the party will need to demonstrate that it can attract more voters if it hopes to establish a durable recovery.

The campaign also included an unexpected intervention from George Galloway, who entered the contest midway through the race while describing himself as running in “self-exile” from outside the United Kingdom. Some Green supporters feared his candidacy might draw votes away from Polanski. Galloway received 314 votes, a relatively small total compared with the two leading candidates, though the precise effect of his campaign on the overall result remains uncertain.

The result has implications beyond the constituency. For Burnham, it offers an opportunity to demonstrate that Labour can defend progressive urban seats against a Green Party seeking to attract voters who want stronger environmental policies and a more confrontational approach to questions of inequality and international justice. For Polanski, the defeat raises the challenge of rebuilding confidence while addressing internal divisions and maintaining the party’s organisational momentum.

Abdi-Wali’s election also places questions of representation and political belonging at the centre of the constituency’s story. Her background and victory speech resonated with wider debates about who is recognised as British and whose experiences are reflected in public institutions. At the same time, the election exposed the difficulty of converting public concern over national and international issues into votes when turnout remains low.

Labour has retained a significant seat, but the broader political contest is far from settled. The Greens remain a substantial force in parts of London, while the government must show that its improved polling translates into sustained public support. The by-election has given Burnham a welcome victory and delivered a setback to Polanski, but the low turnout and the unresolved tensions on the political left suggest that the next stage of Britain’s political realignment is still unfolding.