Polls have closed in the St Holborn and St Pancras by-election, with Andy Burnham facing his first test for the re-energised Labour Party.
The north London seat has been a Labour stronghold since its formation in 1983, held by Frank Dobson for 32 years and Sir Keir for 11.
However, Green Party leader Zack Polanski is hoping to break Labour’s grip and secure his seat in the House of Commons.
It could prove a defining moment for Mr Polanski’s leadership, after the party enjoyed record-breaking results in the May 2026 local elections, adding more than 440 councillors and gaining control of five councils.
However, the bookies’ favourite is Labour’s candidate, Camden Council leader Sagal Abdi-Wali, who Mr Burnham has said would make “a brilliant local MP”.
The election offers the prime minister a chance to show he is restoring voters’ faith in the Labour Party, after its poll ratings nosedived during Sir Keir’s time in No. 10.
There are 13 other candidates in the by-election, including Tory candidate Ewan Cameron, Reform UK’s Peter Newman and the Liberal Democrats’ Patrick Thomas Stillman.
Polanski says the Greens ran ‘a positive campaign full of energy’.
In a statement issued as the polls closed, Green Party leader Zack Polanski said his party had shown how far it had come to be “the main challenger” for Sir Keir Starmer’s former seat.
He also reflected on the party’s campaign.
A Green Party spokesperson said, “Whatever the result later, we’ve run a positive campaign full of energy in what is one of Labour’s safest seats.
“To be the main challenger shows how far the Greens have come. We know that many want to give the new prime minister a chance and want the Greens to keep them focused on progressive issues like rent controls, water nationalisation and the climate crisis.
“Whether we win or lose, this evening, keeping the pressure on the Labour government to deliver on these priorities will be our focus.”
Voting closes for the Holborn and St Pancras by-election.
Voting for the Holborn and St Pancras by-election has now closed.
The votes will now be counted, and results could be announced in the early hours of Friday morning.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain 8 October 2026 22:00
By-election falls on difficult week for Green Party leader
The by-election has fallen during a difficult week for Zack Polanski, after the Green Party passed a controversial motion at its conference in Brighton asserting that “Zionism is racism”.
Mr Polanski, who abstained on the vote, later said he would “not accept any exclusion or refusal to engage with anyone because of the religious or communal body to which they belong”.
When will vote counting begin?
The count will begin after polling stations close at 10pm on Thursday.
The result of by-elections usually is announced in the early hours of the morning the following day.
In 2024, the result in the general election vote in Holborn and St Pancras was announced at 4.15am.
What time is the Holborn and St Pancras by-election announced and is there an exit poll?
The seat has been a Labour stronghold for 32 years, but dozens of candidates are standing for election, with the Green Party in particular hoping to break the decades-long streak as Zack Polanski eyes a seat in the House of Commons.
It could be a defining moment for Mr Polanski’s leadership of the party, which has seen a surge in membership and record-breaking results in the May 2026 local elections, gaining more than 440 councillors and taking control of five councils.
Who is Labour’s candidate today?
Ms Abdi-Wali has represented Camden Square as a councillor since 2022 and assumed leadership of the council in May.
Only two Labour MPs have ever represented Holborn and St Pancras: former health secretary Frank Dobson, from 1983 to 2015, and then Sir Keir.
At the most recent general election in 2024, Sir Keir held the seat with 48.9 per cent of the vote, ahead of independent candidate Andrew Feinstein in second place on 18.9 per cent and the Greens in third on 10.4 per cent. The Conservatives came fourth on 7.2 per cent, Reform finished fifth on 6.1 per cent and the Liberal Democrats were sixth on 5.8 per cent.
Ms Abdi-Wali arrived in the UK as a child refugee from Somalia aged six and has lived in the area since she was a child, only leaving for a brief stint to study at university.
She has volunteered in the local community since she was a teenager and has sought to make housing a key issue in her campaign.
Who is Restore Britain’s candidate for the by-election?
Rupert Lowe’s party, Restore Britain, has selected lawyer Tyler Johnson to fight the by-election.
The party has publicly admitted it cannot win the contest, blaming “mass migration.”
Announcing his party’s candidate, Mr Lowe said: We are being honest with the voters about this election. Entirely because of mass immigration, the constituency cannot be won by a party promising deportations of any kind.
“That’s just the electoral reality. For now, at least.
“So for the remaining patriots in Holborn & St Pancras, this is a free hit. An opportunity to send a message, the most powerful message, that you want your capital city back.”
More photos from polling stations
Labour vs Greens
Labour has held the Holborn and St Pancras seats continuously since they were created in 1983, but voters there have shifted towards green and independent candidates recently.
In May’s local elections, the Greens also saw major success, with Zoe Garbett becoming the UK’s first directly elected Green mayor in Hackney – ending decades of Labour power in the position. Hours later, the party won another mayoralty in Lewisham.
Labour lost three councils to the Greens, including Hackney, Waltham Forest and Norwich, and also became the largest party in Lambeth. They also swept up Hastings Council, which was previously under no overall control.
In her Camden Square ward, Sagal Abdi-Walli won by only a small margin of 60 votes to the Green Party candidate.
Who is the Tory candidate running today?
Ewan Cameron, a former Camden councillor and local political campaigner, will be the Conservative representative in the by-election.
The party came fourth in 2024 and is unlikely to secure a victory this week.
Tory candidate Mr Cameron said he was “honoured” to be selected as his party’s candidate.
“Holborn and St Pancras is the community where I have lived, raised my family and call home,” he said.
“Holborn and St Pancras has enormous potential, with its Georgian terraces, squares, and the Regent’s Canal, as well as the Knowledge Quarter’s research, AI, and science organisations; with the right political leadership, it can become an even better place to live, work, and belong.
“We need a member of Parliament focused on safer streets, more family homes and cutting the cost of living.
“While families are leaving Holborn and St Pancras, the Green leader wants to talk about Gaza. Holborn and St Pancras have recently endured an MP who has never been here. We do not want another one.”
