Green leader Zack Polanski will take on Labour for Keir Starmer’s former Commons seat after winning party nomination
Zack Polanski, the Green Party's leader, has been selected as the party's candidate to contest Holborn and St Pancras in the by-election triggered by Sir Keir Starmer's departure from Parliament. He was chosen over local councillor Hamza Chowdhury, who had criticised the practice of parachuting "famous" candidates into seats, and will now stand against Labour's Sagal Abdi-Wali, the leader of Camden Council, in a seat Labour has held since it was created in 1983. The contest is being seen as an early test of Prime Minister Andy Burnham's popularity, with the Greens viewed as Labour's strongest challenger.
The by-election takes place on 8 October, with Polanski telling supporters the party has "the momentum" to win and suggesting a Green victory could push Burnham's government further to the left. He also voiced solidarity with Abdi-Wali, a former child refugee born in Somalia, after what he called "despicable" criticism of her background from Reform's Zia Yusuf. Local Green members reportedly backed Polanski "overwhelmingly", though the party's national polling has softened since Burnham succeeded Starmer as prime minister. Burnham visited the constituency to campaign alongside Abdi-Wali on the first day of her campaign.
- Zack Polanski to stand for Greens in Holborn and St Pancras by-election
- He'll face Labour's Sagal Abdi-Wali on 8 October
- Vote seen as early test of PM Andy Burnham's popularity
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Zack Polanski leads the Green Party, which has traditionally positioned itself to the left of Labour on issues such as the environment, public spending and inequality. Holborn and St Pancras is a central London constituency that has been held by Labour since it was first created in 1983, and was represented by Sir Keir Starmer until he stood down from Parliament, triggering the need for a by-election. Andy Burnham succeeded Starmer as Labour leader and prime minister, making this contest one of the first electoral tests of his time in office.
Labour has chosen Sagal Abdi-Wali, the leader of Camden Council, as its candidate for the seat, meaning the by-election is largely being framed as a straight fight between Labour and the Greens, who are widely seen as Labour's closest rivals in this part of London. Reform UK, led nationally by figures including Zia Yusuf, is also a presence in the wider political debate around the contest, though it holds no comparable local base in this seat.
By-elections of this kind often attract national attention beyond the immediate constituency, since they are used as an early indicator of a party leader's standing and of how voters are reacting to recent changes in government. The result in Holborn and St Pancras will be watched for what it suggests about support for Burnham's Labour government and for the Greens as a growing alternative on the left.
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The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporters of Polanski's candidacy would argue that as a well-known, media-adept leader he gives the Greens their best realistic chance of turning growing left-wing dissatisfaction with Burnham's government into an actual parliamentary seat, sending a clear democratic signal that voters want bolder action on climate and inequality. They would point to the overwhelming backing from local members as evidence that his national profile is seen locally as an asset rather than an imposition, bringing attention and resources a by-election otherwise struggling seat would lack. His public solidarity with Abdi-Wali against personal attacks from Reform, they would add, shows the contest can be conducted on policy and principle rather than descending into personal or identity-based attacks.
The case against
Sceptics, echoing the argument made by Polanski's own defeated rival Hamza Chowdhury, would say that fielding the party's national leader in a seat he has no prior local connection to repeats exactly the practice of parachuting recognisable figures into constituencies that the Greens elsewhere criticise, sidelining a local councillor with grassroots roots in favour of a profile-raising exercise. They might further argue that with Green support nationally having softened since Burnham took office, and Labour having held this seat since its creation in 1983, framing the contest around one leader's personal brand risks reducing a serious debate about the government's direction to a personality contest, and could split left-of-Labour votes in ways that inadvertently benefit other parties rather than genuinely holding Labour to account.
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