Key facts
- Labour won the Holborn and St Pancras byelection with 45% of the vote.
- The Green Party's Zack Polanski secured 33% of the vote.
- Turnout for the byelection was 38.7%.
- Labour deputy leader Lucy Powell claimed the win shows the party is winning back left-wing voters.
- The Green Party recently adopted a controversial policy on Zionism.
Labour has won the Holborn and St Pancras parliamentary byelection, with deputy leader Lucy Powell asserting that the victory signals the party's success in regaining support from left-wing voters who had become disillusioned under Keir Starmer's leadership. Sagal Abdi-Wali secured 45% of the vote for Labour in the north London seat, previously held by Starmer, defeating Zack Polanski of the Green Party, who garnered 33%. The turnout was relatively low at 38.7%.
Powell stated that the result sends a message to voters who had lost faith in Labour, acknowledging the need for clearer articulation of the party's values. The byelection occurred shortly after the Green Party adopted a contentious policy at their conference that equated Zionism with racism and advocated for a single Palestinian state. Polanski faced criticism for his perceived lack of leadership on this internal party debate, with the chair of Jewish Greens suggesting he should resign.
Despite the Green Party's campaigning efforts, the outcome was largely anticipated. The low turnout, however, raised questions about engaging urban voters, particularly in London, where the Greens have seen recent local election successes. Abdi-Wali, in her victory speech, addressed division and emphasized inclusivity, referencing comments made by Reform UK's Zia Yusuf.
Polanski acknowledged the Green Party's continued threat to Labour but noted that many voters expressed a desire to give Andy Burnham a chance. This byelection result was the Green Party's second-best performance in a byelection, following a significant upset in Gorton and Denton earlier in the year. Polanski's leadership has been under scrutiny following the Zionism motion, with some critics accusing him of avoiding the debate to focus on the byelection campaign. He later stated he would have voted against the motion had he attended, as amendments he supported were rejected.