# Labour wins Holborn seat as Polanski vows to stay

> Green Party leader Zack Polanski lost the north London by-election to Labour's Sagal Abdi-Wali but says he will remain as party leader despite mounting pressure.
- Title: Labour wins Holborn seat as Polanski vows to stay | Shortify
- Summary: Green Party leader Zack Polanski lost the north London by-election to Labour's Sagal Abdi-Wali but says he will remain as party leader despite mounting…
- Keywords: holborn and st pancras, zack polanski, green party, sagal abdi-wali, labour, by-election, keir starmer, andy burnham, zionism motion, politics, news, wins
- Source: The Independent — https://independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/holborn-st-pancras-by-election-live-updates-result-polanski-labour-b3063754.html
- Published: 2026-10-09T07:00:09+00:00
- Read time: 3 min
- Topics: holborn and st pancras, zack polanski, green party, sagal abdi-wali, labour, by-election, keir starmer, andy burnham, zionism motion, politics, news
## Labour takes Holborn seat
Labour's Sagal Abdi-Wali won the Holborn and St Pancras by-election with twelve thousand two hundred ninety-two votes, declared around three am on October ninth.
## Polanski comes second
Green Party leader Zack Polanski finished second with eight thousand nine hundred twenty-eight votes despite running a major campaign in the north London constituency.
## Polanski vows to stay on
Moments after the result, Polanski told reporters he would continue as Green Party leader. He said: "Of course I'm going to carry on as leader of the Green Party."

> Of course I'm going to carry on as leader of the Green Party.
## Turnout was relatively low
The by-election saw a turnout of thirty-eight point seven six percent, lower than the forty-seven point six two percent in Gorton and Denton in February.
## Abdi-Wali's background
Sagal Abdi-Wali, leader of Camden Council since May, arrived in the UK as a child refugee from Somalia aged six and has lived in the area since childhood.
## Abdi-Wali celebrates diversity
After the result was declared, Abdi-Wali said her victory was a testament to the success of diversity in the borough.
## Polanski missed Zionism vote
Polanski was absent from the Green Party conference vote on a motion declaring Zionism is racism, saying he was focused on the by-election campaign.
## Lucas criticised his absence
Former Green leader Caroline Lucas said Polanski should have been at the vote and should have voted, suggesting his absence could threaten his leadership.
## Polanski on the motion
Polanski said he would have supported the motion as amended but it was not amended. He said: "Ultimately, I agree with the substance of the motion."

> Ultimately, I agree with the substance of the motion.
## Polanski on Zionism
After the result, Polanski said he grew up in a Zionist household but no longer believes that narrative. He said the displacement of Palestinians and genocide is clearly racist.
## Polanski defends party growth
Polanski denied losing control of the party, saying membership grew from fifty-five thousand to sixty thousand when he ran for leader to two hundred twenty thousand now.
## Polanski on the campaign
Polanski said running in the by-election was not a mistake and allowed him to present Green Party values on rent controls, climate crisis and nationalising Thames Water.
## Vote share increased
In a social media video, Polanski noted the Green Party's vote share in the constituency increased from ten percent to thirty-three percent during the PM's bounce.
## Burnham's honeymoon period
Polanski said this is Andy Burnham's honeymoon and that people on the doorsteps told him they want to give Burnham a chance, which they now have.
## Leadership election next summer
Polanski said it will be up to Green Party members whether he continues as leader. Under party rules, a scheduled leadership election happens next summer.
## Polanski confident of support
When asked how confident he was of re-election as leader, Polanski told Sky News he is experiencing an immense amount of people saying they have never been prouder to be Green members.
## Key takeaway

Labour won the Holborn and St Pancras by-election with 12,292 votes, beating Green Party leader Zack Polanski's 8,928 votes. Polanski vowed to stay on despite facing questions over his leadership.