Green Party leader Zack Polanski has said he would not move into the constituency he hopes to represent if he wins the upcoming by-election for Holborn and St Pancras, the seat vacated by former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Instead, Polanski plans to keep living in Hackney, East London, and commute to North London by bicycle, saying he can cycle across the entire constituency as quickly as travelling within it. The comments have fuelled questions about his commitment to the seat, particularly as his candidacy faces internal opposition from local Green activists.

Local councillor Hamza Choudhury has announced he will also stand for the Green nomination, criticising politicians who appear only during campaigns before "disappearing" once elected, and arguing the seat needs an MP who is "present, accessible and visibly part of the community". Polanski has not yet been formally selected, with reports of splits among local Green members over whether to instead back an explicitly pro-Gaza candidate. Starmer held the seat, Labour-held since its creation in 1983, with 48.9% of the vote in 2024, ahead of independent Andrew Feinstein on 18.9% and the Greens on 10.4%; Feinstein has said he will not stand again, potentially benefiting the Greens.