Labour holds Keir Starmer's old seat as Zack Polanski loses Holborn by-election bid to Sagal Abdi-Wali

From the Newshound archive · first published 11 October 2026.

Abdi-Wali, leader of Camden Council, secured 12,292 votes to Polanski's 8,928, keeping the north London seat Labour has held since 1983. The defeat is a serious blow to Polanski, who had publicly targeted the constituency and staked his leadership credibility on breaking through to Westminster.

Polanski had claimed the race was 'close' on polling day, while Burnham personally urged voters to back Abdi-Wali with a last-minute appeal.

The result is a relief for Burnham, whose own by-election win in Makerfield earlier this year propelled him into Downing Street, but the Labour majority was far from commanding.

Polanski's loss is expected to fuel internal Green Party critics already questioning his leadership after a controversial conference vote over an Israeli state amendment he had backed.