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Who are the candidates for the Holborn and St Pancras by-election? Full list of people standing

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Cite

Yadav, N., & Watts, M. (2026, September 14). Who are the candidates for the Holborn and St Pancras by-election? Full list of people standing. Evening Standard. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/holborn-st-pancras-by-election-candidates-zack-polanski-sagal-abdi-wali-b1296594.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Evening Standard · collected 2026-09-14 · by Niva Yadav, Matt Watts

Quick Summary

The article lists the candidates for the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, focusing on Sagal Abdi-Wali from Labour and Zack Polanski from the Green Party. Abdi-Wali, a refugee from Somalia who became a Camden councillor in 2022, emphasizes issues like housing and homelessness. Polanski, elected as the Green candidate after joining the party in 2017, acknowledges his party may be underdogs but sees potential for gains following recent local election successes.
Written by AI on 2026-09-16, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

A by-election for the Holborn and St Pancras seat in London is underway after an incumbent's departure. The Labour Party has nominated Sagal Abdi-Wali, who narrowly won over more than 100 other candidates at a recent selection meeting. Born as a child refugee from Somalia’s civil war, Abdi-Wali later became a Camden councillor for the Camden Square ward in 2022 and served as the Cabinet Member for Better Homes, overseeing housing and neighborhood development.

The Green Party is also contesting this seat with their candidate Zack Polanski, aiming to build on recent successes from May’s local elections. Abdi-Wali has been instrumental in securing Camden's status as a “Borough of Sanctuary” in 2024, highlighting her commitment to refugee and immigrant communities. Outside politics, she volunteers for local charities and serves as a governor at two schools. The current Labour incumbent has held the seat since its creation in 1983.

Written for “Holborn And St Pancras By Election Ca…” on 2026-10-30, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Holborn And St Pancras By Election Ca…
Politics · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 12% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Evening Standard
Hedges 1 of 9 claims Outlet record 65/100
“The articles describe different aspects of separate election processes for distinct roles (by-election vs London mayor).”
Evening Standard
Hedges 0 of 8 claims Outlet record 65/100
“While both articles discuss candidates for the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, they describe different aspects of the election process rather than a single specific incident.”
The Straits Times
Hedges 1 of 7 claims Outlet record 68/100
“Article A reports on the confirmation of Zack Polanski as the Green Party candidate, while Article B provides a broader overview of all candidates for the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, including Labour's Sagal Abdi-Wali.”
Evening Standard
Hedges 2 of 10 claims Outlet record 65/100
“While both articles discuss candidates for the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, they describe different aspects of the election process.”
Evening Standard
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 1 of 18 claims Outlet record 65/100
“Article A reports on Andy Burnham's visit to support Sagal Abdi-Wali for the London by-election, while Article B provides an overview of the candidates running in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
49
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
12%
6 of 49 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
65/100
Evening Standard's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-16 · source text last changed 2026-09-16 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Evening Standard · 7684 article(s) · 62 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 62 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Niva Yadav
48 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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Matt Watts
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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 74 articles by Matt Watts →

Topics

Camden Green Labour St Pancras The Green Party

Subjects

Abdi-Wali PERSON · 5× Holborn GPE · 5× Labour ORG · 5× Green NORP · 4× Polanski PERSON · 4× St Pancras GPE · 4× Camden GPE · 3× Zack Polanski PERSON · 3× The Green Party ORG · 2× Sagal Abdi-Wali - PERSON · 1×

Narrative

From Georgian terraces, squares and the Regent’s Canal to the Knowledge Quarter’s research, AI and science organisations today, Holborn and St Pancras has enormous potential that with the right political leadership can become an even better place to live, work and belong.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-14
🔮 The Green Party hope it will continue their gains in the capital from May’s local elections and have put forward Zack Polanski to contest the seat - which has been held by Labour since the constituency’s inception in 1983.

Claims (49 extracted, 6 hedged)

The Green Party hope it will continue their gains in the capital from May’s local elections and have put forward Zack Polanski to contest the seat - which has been held by Labour since the constituency’s inception in 1983. uncertain
which → hope → 1983
Here is a full list of candidates standing in the election, with nominations now closed. asserted
nominations → stand → election
She pipped more than 100 candidates to the post to become Labour’s frontrunner in a selection meeting earlier this month. asserted
She → pip → meeting
Cllr Abdi-Wali first came to Britain as a child refugee in the early 1990s after fleeing civil war in Somalia. asserted
Wali → come → Somalia
Since then, she has lived in Camden. asserted
she → live → Camden
She was elected as a Labour councillor for the Camden Square ward in 2022, after serving as the Cabinet Member for Better Homes - a role which saw her manage the borough’s housing and neighbourhood development. asserted
her → elect → development
Cllr Abdi-Wali has also been credited with helping to achieve Camden’s status as a “Borough of Sanctuary” in 2024. asserted
Wali → credit → 2024
She is also the governor for two local schools, according to the Labour Party. uncertain
She → accord → Party
Her views have been largely shaped by her background as a Somalian refugee and she has prioritised housing and homelessness in her role at Camden Council. asserted
she → shape → Council
On being selected as the Labour candidate, she said: “This place welcomed my family as refugees and gave us hope when we needed it most. asserted
we → select → it
I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to build a life here, serving our community as a councillor, school governor and community activist.” asserted
I → have → councillor
A victory for Cllr Abdi-Wali would see her step down from her role as leader of the north London council to assume Sir Keir’s former seat. asserted
her → see → seat
Cllr Abdi-Wali has already launched her campaign and was spotted in the borough alongside Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Thursday. asserted
Wali → launch → Thursday
Zack Polanski - Green Green party leader Zack Polanski has been selected as the party’s candidate for the Holborn and St Pancras by-election. asserted
Polanski → select → election
Mr Polanski edged out Camden councillor Hamza Chowdhury to win the candidacy. Speaking on his win, Mr Polanski acknowledged that the Greens “might be the underdog in this election”, but he believes the party has the “momentum” to win. Mr Polanski’s political career started in 2015 when he stood as a Liberal Democrat candidate for the for St Pancras and Somers Town by-election in 2015. uncertain
he → edge → 2015
He later joined the Green party in 2017, eventually becoming the deputy leader in 2022 after being elected as a member of the London Assembly in 2021. asserted
He → join → 2021
Mr Polanski has been credited with driving the Green Party’s popularity in recent months. asserted
Polanski → credit → months
During his tenure, the party has made significant gains and achieved its best results in history in the 2026 local elections. asserted
party → make → elections
Hannah Spencer MP was elected in the Gorton and Denton by-election, beating Labour and Reform UK, while Zoe Garbett was elected as Mayor of Hackney in May. uncertain
Garbett → elect → May
The Green party leader moved to the capital in the mid-2000s after growing up in Manchester. asserted
leader → move → Manchester
He has been a vocal advocate for wealth redistribution, supporting a wealth tax on the country’s super-rich. asserted
He → support → rich
Housing and rent controls, as well as universal basic income, have also formed key pillars of his policy. asserted
controls → form → policy
Ewan Cameron - Conservatives Tory candidate Mr Cameron said: “This is the community where I have lived, raised my family and call home. “ asserted
I → say → family
From Georgian terraces, squares and the Regent’s Canal to the Knowledge Quarter’s research, AI and science organisations today, Holborn and St Pancras has enormous potential that with the right political leadership can become an even better place to live, work and belong. asserted
that → have → leadership
“We need a Member of Parliament focused on safer streets, more family homes and cutting the cost of living. asserted
We → need → living
“While families are leaving Holborn and St Pancras, the Green leader wants to talk about Gaza. asserted
leader → leave → Gaza
Holborn & St Pancras has recently endured a ‘Never Here’ MP. asserted
Holborn → endure → MP
We do not want another one.” asserted
We → want → one
The Lib Dems face a uphill task in the by-election, having come sixth in the seat in the 2024 election. asserted
Dems → face → election
Lib Dem candidate Mr Stillman said: “I’m proud to have been selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Holborn and St Pancras. asserted
I → say → Holborn
“Voters here deserve better than a Labour Government in chaos, or a Green Party using this seat to prop up its leader’s ambitions. asserted
Voters → deserve → ambitions
“We have a distinct, confident liberal message – on housing, on safety, on giving young Londoners like me a fair shot at building a life here – and I’m going to make that case on every doorstep between now and October 8. asserted
I → have → October
Nominations for candidates close on September 15. asserted
Nominations → close → September
Pete Newman - Reform UK Former Metropolitan Police detective Pete Newman will contest the by-election for Reform UK. asserted
Newman → contest → UK
Reform UK said Mr Newman is a former counter-terrorism commander who responded to the aftermath of the July 7 bombings. asserted
who → say → bombings
According to the party, he specifically led Met officers in Westminster to return the borough to normality and assist businesses in building resilience against potential future terrorist acts. uncertain
he → accord → acts
After retiring from the Met, he has worked as a professional security and investigative consultant, according to Reform UK. uncertain
he → retire → UK
Mr Newman said: “I am humbled and honoured to be Reform UK’s parliamentary candidate for Holborn and St Pancras. asserted
I → say → Holborn
As a former police detective, it depresses me to see the state of crime and policing in our capital. asserted
it → depress → capital
“Residents no longer feel safe and our police officers are struggling to cope. asserted
officers → feel → ?
…and 9 more, not listed.
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