Green Party Targets Labour Hold In Starmer's Former Seat

Green Party leader Zack Polanski aims to loosen Labour's hold on Holborn, a seat held by the party since its creation in 1983. The upcoming by-election follows Keir Starmer's resignation after his first term as Prime Minister began in 2015. Fifteen candidates are running for this former Starmer position.

London organizers recently hosted a meeting at an event arranged by the Camden Muslim Network ahead of the vote. Residents gathered around empty chairs while Green and Liberal Democrat representatives pitched their cases. Labour and Conservative contenders stayed away. Sagal Abdi Wali, who runs as the Labour candidate, told The Guardian she could not attend due to a prior commitment and claimed the invitation arrived too late. Network organizers disputed this, stating they had invited her earlier.

Discussion at the gathering covered local housing concerns alongside the wider conflict in Israel and Palestine. Liberal Democrat candidate Patrick Stillman noted his party has long advocated for Palestinian statehood but refuses to back a total boycott. Polanski took a harder line. He told the crowd that apologizing for Gaza while selling weapons to an alleged genocide perpetrator is deeply cynical. His party recently voted to label Zionism as racism and supports a full boycott of Israel.

Green leaflets distributed to constituents focused heavily on Abdi-Wali's past. She served as a Labour councillor and became leader of Camden council in May. One handout read: "Bring change, Replace Labour, Vote Green." The back side claimed every Camden Labour councillor refused to sign the Palestine solidarity pledge or divest pension funds from companies linked to Israel's actions in occupied territories. Only Greens were said to stand firm.

Abdi-Wali responded to these claims in an interview with the Camden New Journal last month. She called the suggestion that Labour felt no strong emotion on the issue obviously inaccurate. She stated she wants to focus on Ed Miliband's current work as Foreign Secretary regarding Palestine, Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank. Earlier this year, Camden Friends of Palestine presented a petition with 4,000 signatures asking for pension fund divestment. Abdi-Wali did not support that motion at the time she was still a Labour councillor.

Most councillors chose not to commit to divestment. Instead, they voted to send the question back to the pension board for review. One voice in the room was sharp. "My impression of her and her politics is that she's just really incredibly silent on everything, if there isn't a career motive for her," said 38-year-old Shadin. He is a resident and an organizer for CFOP. "And that's kind of disappointing." He plans to vote for Polanski. The silence comes at a time when many feel pushed away from the system entirely. "Watching a livestreamed genocide has made a lot of people that I know … disengage from mainstream politics or parliamentary politics".

The situation on the ground remains mixed. Like many London constituencies, housing is the burning issue here. A "2026 state of the borough" report released by Camden council paints a grim picture. At the end of March 2025, there were 8,380 households on the waiting list for social housing. That number represents an increase of 9.5 percent from the year before.

In Primrose Hill, one of the constituency's more affluent areas, opinions are split. On Friday, one resident said they would vote Labour in the upcoming election. Another believed that regardless of who wins, life will not change. In Camden, another resident told Al Jazeera that while they live in the area, they were not aware of the election. Meanwhile, Labour canvassers buzzed to gain entry into a nearby estate in the background.

As both parties make their final efforts to secure victory, recent polls predict a close race. The 2024 general election ended with Starmer winning the seat with 49 percent. Andrew Feinstein, a pro-Palestine independent candidate, came second with 19 percent. Now, Ladbrokes and Stats for Lefties, which examines polling data closely, both predict Labour will win.