Labour has selected Sagal Abdi-Wali, the leader of Camden Council, as its candidate for the Holborn and St Pancras by-election on 8 October, triggered by Sir Keir Starmer's decision to step down as an MP to focus on international affairs. The contest is significant because it will test Labour's grip on a seat it has held since its creation in 1983, at a time when the party faces pressure from the left over issues such as Gaza.

Abdi-Wali, a councillor for Camden Square since 2022 who arrived in the UK as a refugee, said she was standing to "give back the hope" the community gave her family. The Green Party is seen as Labour's strongest challenger, having pushed independent candidate Andrew Feinstein into second place and taken third at the 2024 general election, when Starmer won with 48.9% of the vote; Green leader Zack Polanski hopes to stand but faces a nomination challenge from local councillor Hamza Chowdhury. The Conservatives, Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats trailed further behind in 2024, and the Greens have since made further gains in Camden's local elections.