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Zack Polanski announces he will stand in Holborn and St Pancras by-election

Developed over time first seen 2 months ago

The Independent · 2 months ago

Green Party leader Zack Polanski has announced he will stand in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, called after former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer resigned as MP. Starmer, who was replaced as Prime Minister and Labour leader by Andy Burnham in July following a series of setbacks and poor local election results, said it was the "right time" to step down and focus on international affairs. Polanski's candidacy sets up the Greens as Labour's most likely main challenger in the seat, based on trends from the 2024 general election.

Labour has held the inner London constituency since its creation in 1983, but its vote share has fallen sharply, from 64.5% in 2019 to 48.9% in 2024, shrinking Starmer's majority from 27,763 to 11,572. At the last election, independent Andrew Feinstein came second with 18.9% and the Greens third with 10.4%, with the Conservatives, Reform and the Liberal Democrats trailing further behind; both Feinstein and the Greens had campaigned strongly on Labour's stance towards Israel's actions in Gaza, a factor seen as driving some Labour voters away.

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In short

Zack Polanski to contest Holborn and St Pancras by-election for the Greens
Vacancy created by Sir Keir Starmer's resignation as MP
Labour's majority there halved between 2019 and 2024 elections

How this story developed

2 months ago Green Party leader Zack Polanski has announced he will stand in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, called after former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer resigned as MP.

Explained simply

Holborn and St Pancras is an inner London constituency represented in Parliament by one MP. It has been held by Labour since it was created in 1983, and Sir Keir Starmer represented it before resigning; a by-election is held to choose a new MP when a seat becomes vacant.

The Green Party is one of the UK’s political parties, and Zack Polanski is its leader. At the 2024 general election, Labour’s share of the vote in the constituency fell compared with 2019, while independent candidate Andrew Feinstein came second and the Greens third. Both Feinstein and the Greens criticised Labour’s position on Israel’s actions in Gaza, an issue linked to some voters moving away from Labour.