Labour holds Sir Keir Starmer's old seat of Holborn and St Pancras, but its majority over the Greens is 3,364
The by-election was held on 8 October and declared early on 9 October. Sagal Abdi-Wali, Labour, won 12,292 votes, ITV reported. The Green Party leader, Zack Polanski, took 8,928, a majority of 3,364. Camden Council's table gave the Conservative Ewan Cameron 1,922 votes, Reform UK's Peter Newman 1,612, the Liberal Democrat Patrick Stillman 924 and the Workers Party 314. Turnout was 38.76%. In 2024 Sir Keir won 48.9% of the vote, against about 45% for Ms Abdi-Wali. The Guardian said the result suggests Labour is winning back some voters on the left, and asked whether the Greens are at a crossroads.
A by-election is one of the few direct tests of public opinion between general elections. This one was a contest between Labour and the Greens for the same voters.
The winner becomes the constituency's MP once sworn in. For voters elsewhere, the result is one more reading of how the government and its challengers are doing.
Labour held on and the Greens did not break through, so the party's left flank is not collapsing.
A majority of 3,364 in a seat Labour once won comfortably is a warning, and a 38.76% turnout is low.
Do not over-read one London seat. What matters is the Greens' share against Labour's, and whether Mr Polanski's leadership is questioned. The next by-election test is reported to be in a Farage seat, though no date has been confirmed.
DailyDrop U.K. edition No. 6 · Morning · SAT., OCT. 10, 2026