Sagal Abdi-Wali won a Labour byelection in Holborn for Camden Council after her candidacy was criticized by Reform UK’s Zia Yusuf as being born in Somalia. Speaking at Camden Council headquarters, she emphasized that her victory represents diversity and inclusion in British politics. She received 12,292 votes, while the second-place candidate got 8,928 votes; turnout was 38.76% with a total of 27,309 votes cast. Abdi-Wali addressed concerns about division and emphasized unity, stating that her win is not based on fear but on bringing people together.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-09,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The Holborn and St Pancras by-election on October 5 aims to replace former Prime Minister Keir Starmer as MP. The race is closely contested between Labour’s candidate, Muna Abdelaziz (referred to as Ms Abdi-Wali in some reports), and Green Party leader Zack Polanski. Historically a Labour stronghold since its formation in 1983, the seat has seen Labour hold it for consecutive terms, most recently with Starmer serving for 11 years.
Polanski's campaign emphasizes pushing Labour on issues like rent controls and public ownership of Thames Water, leveraging recent Green Party successes. However, his leadership faced a significant challenge when the Green Party passed a controversial motion at its conference in Brighton asserting that “Zionism is racism,” which Polanski abstained from voting on.
Despite this setback, Polanski insists he will not exclude anyone based on religious or communal affiliations and believes the race remains close. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has made a last-minute appeal for support, stating "Today, hope can win. But only if you vote for it," in urging voters to back Labour.
The election outcome could be pivotal for Polanski's leadership of the Green Party, which has seen significant growth with over 440 councillors gained and control of five councils following local elections in May 2026. For Labour, holding onto this seat would signal renewed voter confidence after losing popularity during the Gaza conflict earlier in the year.
Written for “Holborn And St Pancras By-election” on 2026-10-09,
grounded in this article and the 26 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
verbatim and was checked against the article text before being
stored, so you can find it in the original.
Leaning: leans left for article 67506 (high confidence, 2 verified quotes) · logged 2026-10-09
Her comments came after Reform UK’s home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf attacked her candidacy as a British-Somalian shortly after the byelection was called.
asserted
byelection → come → Somalian
Speaking after her victory was announced in Camden Council’s headquarters in north London, she said: “I hope this moment also says something about who gets to belong, for people who look like me, I hope they see themselves reflected in this place and know that their path too belongs here.
asserted
path → speak → place
In early September Mr Yusuf posted on X: “The frontrunner being foisted on the people of Holborn by Labour to replace the former prime minister Keir Starmer in our parliament was born in Somalia.
asserted
frontrunner → post → Somalia
Do you understand what’s happening?”
asserted
what → understand → ?
His comments were criticised by Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds as “straightforward racism”.
asserted
comments → criticise → racism
Reform UK’s candidate Peter Newman finished in fourth place with 1,612 votes, just under 6%.
asserted
candidate → finish → votes
Ms Abdi-Wali told Sky News she was “less upset, more just a bit sad than disappointed in that kind of rhetoric” about Mr Yusuf’s comments.
asserted
she → tell → comments
“I’ve got quite strong shoulders and thick skin, and that sort of stuff never bothers me.
asserted
sort → get → me
“But I do think about how impacts on people and people want to get involved in their community and politics, and then find it’s a negative place to be, and just try to like make this campaign about how much this place belongs to them.”
asserted
place → think → them
Speaking on stage, Ms Abdi-Wali said: “I want to talk about some of the experiences that I’ve had over the last few weeks.
asserted
I → speak → weeks
“In Camden, our diversity is a strength and our cohesion has been too hard won to take for granted.
asserted
cohesion → win → Camden
“I’ve watched people across Camden work to build communities where difference is not something to fear, but something to value.
asserted
difference → watch → communities
We cannot allow that work, built over generations, to be casually undone by those who seek to divide us.
asserted
who → allow → us
Read More
“We have a responsibility to defend what we’ve built, and pass it on.
asserted
we → read → it
People need to believe that politics can make their lives better and that their communities can thrive and that tomorrow can be better than today.”
asserted
tomorrow → need → today
She added: “That is what this victory represents.
asserted
victory → add → what
Winning not by making people afraid of each other, but by bringing people together.”
asserted
people → win → people
Ms Abdi-Wali got 12,292 votes, ahead of Mr Polanski who got 8,928.
asserted
who → get → 8,928
In third was Conservative Party candidate Ewan Cameron on 1,922, followed by Reform UK’s Peter Newman with 1,612.
asserted
Cameron → follow → 1,612
Turnout was 38.76%, with 27,309 votes being cast.
asserted
votes → cast → ?
The winning candidate paid tribute to her family and activists who had helped her get elected.
asserted
her → win → family
She said she wanted to bring Thames Water into “public ownership”, tackle rough sleeping, and create more opportunities for young people.
asserted
she → say → people
Ms Abdi-Wali said: “Homelessness is the issue that first drove me into politics, and no one should be sleeping on the streets, and no family should be left without security in the home.
asserted
family → say → home
“I want to work with the Prime Minister Andy Burnham and our Labour Government to tackle rough sleeping while addressing the wider housing crisis, so that people don’t just get a roof over their heads, but the security and hope that comes with having a proper home.
asserted
that → want → home
She has become the area’s first female MP since Lena Jeger, who represented a previous seat of Holborn and St Pancras South from 1964-1979.
asserted
who → become → 1964
The Aporia
