Sagal Abdi-Wali, the leader of Camden Council who arrived in the UK as a child refugee from Somalia, has emerged as the leading contender to succeed Sir Keir Starmer in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, in a contest that could prove far more competitive than typical for the safe Labour seat given recent Green gains in the area.
Sagal Abdi-Wali has emerged as the frontrunner to replace Sir Keir Starmer as Labour’s candidate for Holborn and St Pancras, according to Labour sources. Abdi-Wali, who arrived in the UK from Somalia as a child refugee in the early 1990s, currently leads Camden Council and previously chaired Starmer’s local party branch. The by-election was triggered by Starmer’s resignation from Parliament on 1 September 2026, with Labour’s candidate selection process due to close on 4 September.
Who is Sagal Abdi-Wali?
Abdi-Wali became leader of Camden Council in May 2026, following the local elections in which Labour’s previous leader, Richard Olszewski, lost his seat to the Greens. She won the internal Labour leadership contest against Adam Harrison by a single vote, after the first ballot ended in a tie. In taking on the role, Abdi-Wali made history as Camden’s first Black woman council leader.
She was first elected as the councillor for Camden Square in 2022 and was re-elected in May 2026, though the ward proved a close contest between Labour and the Greens. Before becoming council leader, Abdi-Wali served as Camden’s cabinet member for Better Homes from May 2024, giving her a substantial background in local government rather than making her a newcomer to politics.
Labour’s weakened position in Camden
Labour’s standing in Camden has deteriorated significantly in recent months. The party lost 17 council seats in the May 2026 local elections, leaving it with 30 of the borough’s 55 seats and only a three-seat majority. The Greens emerged as the largest opposition group on the council, with 11 seats.
The scale of the Green advance is particularly relevant to the upcoming by-election, given the party’s complete sweep of Camden’s Holborn and Covent Garden ward, where it took all three seats and defeated the borough’s former Labour council leader.
A Green challenge from Zack Polanski
Green Party figure Zack Polanski is now seriously considering standing in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election himself. The Green Party has fast-tracked its own selection process in response, and Polanski has already begun campaigning in the constituency.
The Greens are reportedly planning a substantial campaign operation for the contest, including hundreds of poster boards across the constituency, in an effort to demonstrate visible local support and win over voters who have not previously backed the party.
The seat’s electoral history
Starmer won Holborn and St Pancras with 18,884 votes at the 2024 general election, giving Labour a majority of 11,572. The Greens received 4,030 votes at that election, while independent candidate Andrew Feinstein finished second with 7,312 votes.
The constituency has been held continuously by Labour since it was created in 1983, with only two MPs having represented it: Frank Dobson and Starmer himself.
A more competitive contest than usual
Feinstein has already suggested that progressive candidates should unite to defeat Labour in the by-election, a stance that could create a significant tactical-voting dynamic should he decide to contest the seat again.
Given the substantial support already shown for both an independent candidate and the Greens at the 2024 general election, combined with the Greens’ more recent gains in neighbouring Camden wards, the by-election is expected to be considerably more competitive than a typical contest in what has long been considered a safe Labour seat.
What comes next
Starmer has said that, following his departure from Parliament, he intends to focus on international affairs, defence, security, trade and technology, rather than stepping back from public life entirely. The by-election itself is expected to take place later in 2026, though a precise polling date had not been announced in the latest available reports.
