Sagal Abdi-Wali, who came to the UK as a refugee child from Somalia, got 3,300 more votes than Zack Polanski, leader of the Greens. Published October 9, 2026 October 9, 2026 The Labor Party has won the election for a parliamentary seat vacated by former leader Keir Starmer, fending off a challenge from the left-wing Green Party in a boost for the British prime minister. local council leader, won the seat in the central London constituency of Holborn and St Pancras with 12,292 votes, compared to 8,928 for Zack Polanski, the second-place Green Party leader. UK Reform Party in the upcoming national elections. After losing left-wing support to the Greens earlier this year, Labor appears to have won back many voters, a result that raised further questions about Polanski’s leadership. There are now five Green MPs, compared to one in 2023. But Polanski, 43, came under fire recently after party members passed a motion declaring Zionism to be racism at their annual conference. Historic Palestine” was criticized by Jewish groups, other parties and most Green Party lawmakers. Polanski did not vote on the motion. Labor has held Holborn since the seat was created in 1983. Labour’s Abdi-Wali, who came to the UK as a refugee child from Somalia, said her victory was a defeat for “those who seek to divide us.” “We have a responsibility to defend what we have built and pass it on,” she said, describing the result as part “Andy Burnham’s honeymooner” Polanski congratulated Abdi-Wali, but said: “One in three voters backed us here, and we know many more considered it.” Gaza has changed voting habits over the past three years. The Greens, far more critical of Israel’s conduct than any other party, gained a boost in the 2024 general election. Back then, Starmer won the seat with 49 percent. Andrew Feinstein, a pro-Palestinian independent candidate, came in second, with 19 percent. Polanski has raised the “progressive vote” while “lowering the Labor vote,” Feinstein said.
