Labour holds Starmer's old seat as Polanski's Green leadership faces fresh questions after Holborn defeat
From the Newshound archive · first published 9 October 2026.
Zack Polanski, whose net approval rating of -28 makes him less popular than Nigel Farage, faces a crunch Holborn and St Pancras by-election tomorrow.
Sagal Abdi-Wali, leader of Camden Council and a former Somali child refugee, has won the Holborn and St Pancras by-election for Labour with 12,292 votes to Green Party leader Zack Polanski's 8,928 — a majority of 3,364. The result hands Prime Minister Andy Burnham a boost in his first electoral test, though Labour's majority was slashed from 11,572 at the 2024 general election. Turnout slumped to 38.76%, the lowest of any by-election held in England this parliament.
Polanski's defeat came days after his party's conference passed a motion declaring 'Zionism is racism', sparking a furious antisemitism backlash he could not escape.
Former Green leader Caroline Lucas said voters should 'see what happens in the coming days and weeks' when pressed on Polanski's leadership future on BBC Newsnight.
Deputy leader Mothin Ali, who spearheaded the Zionism motion, is understood to be a potential challenger if Polanski is ousted under the party's two-year leadership election rule.
