Labour holds Starmer’s former London seat against Green Party challenge

London, United Kingdom. Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s Labour Party won the by-election for the parliamentary seat vacated by former leader Keir Starmer on Friday, holding off a strong challenge from the left-wing Green Party.

Labour retains Holborn and St Pancras

Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali, the local council leader, secured 12,292 votes in the central London constituency of Holborn and St Pancras. Green Party leader Zack Polanski received 8,928 votes.

Labour had been widely expected to retain the seat. Burnham is seeking to rebuild the party’s appeal among its core voters in big cities after two bruising years in government under Starmer.

Although Labour’s main rival in national polls is currently the populist Reform Party, the governing party is also working to strengthen support among left-leaning voters who had switched to the Greens ahead of a national election due in mid-2029.

Abdi-Wali pledges to deliver

In her victory speech, Abdi-Wali paid tribute to Starmer and said she wanted to work with Burnham on issues including housing.

“We have a responsibility to defend what we’ve built and pass it on,” she said. “Throughout our campaign, we chose hope, and the people of Holborn and St Pancras chose it with us. And now it’s time to deliver.”

Green Party momentum slows under Burnham

The defeat is a setback for Polanski, a 43-year-old former actor and hypnotherapist. He has pledged to turn the Greens into “an eco-populist” movement and attract support away from Labour, a strategy that had been gaining ground until Burnham became prime minister.

Starmer was replaced as prime minister in July and resigned as a lawmaker in September after losing Labour’s support following a series of missteps, policy reversals and disastrous local election results in May.

The Green Party made record gains in London in May’s local elections, largely at Labour’s expense, capitalising on Starmer’s unpopularity.