Greens leader will stand in by-election to replace Keir Starmer
David Lynch, Press Association Political Correspondent
Green Party leader Zack Polanski has said he intends to stand as a candidate in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, triggered by Sir Keir Starmer’s exit from Parliament.
Mr Polanski announced his plan to contest the seat, and win a place in Parliament, to the Camden New Journal.
“I have lived and worked in this community over many years, I know it well and I love it,” he said in an interview with the north London newspaper.
“It represents so many of the things that make London so special. I am so excited by the prospect of representing this place in Parliament.”
Former prime minister Sir Keir announced he would quit as an MP on Tuesday, as Parliament returned from its summer recess, despite having previously insisted he would stay on as a backbencher until the next general election.
He was soon after appointed to the position of “steward and bailiff of the Three Hundreds of Chiltern”, as part of an archaic formal process which allows an MP to resign.
Mr Polanski also told the Camden New Journal that the constituency had “been held back by governments who have failed to make the changes to improve people’s lives”.
He added: “We know that the Greens can win here, and by electing me, voters will have someone who will always fight their corner – never scared of big donors or the party whip.
“Too often Labour has stood up for corporations and big money. I will stand up for people struggling to pay their bills.”
The Greens are likely to pose the greatest threat in the by-election to Labour, which has held the inner London constituency continuously since the seat was created in 1983, winning at least 40% of the vote at every election.
Only two Labour MPs have ever represented Holborn and St Pancras: former health secretary Frank Dobson, from 1983 to 2015, then Sir Keir.
At the most recent general election in 2024, Sir Keir held the seat with 48.9% of the vote, ahead of independent candidate Andrew Feinstein in second place on 18.9% and the Greens in third on 10.4%.
The Conservatives came fourth on 7.2%, Reform finished fifth on 6.1% and the Liberal Democrats were sixth on 5.8%.
The popularity of the independent and Green candidates at the 2024 contest, finishing second and third respectively, may have been partly down to former Labour voters protesting against Sir Keir’s refusal to take a stronger position on Israel’s actions in Gaza in the war with Hamas.
The Green Party also made gains in the May local elections in the London Borough of Camden, the local authority which covers the constituency.
A date for the Holborn and St Pancras by-election has not yet been set.
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Good decision. Any one that clearly stands up and calls out the evil of the genocidal zionist government, their idf goons and the marauding settlers is a hero in my eyes.
How successful the Greens are may partly depend on whether Feinstein decides to run again. To come from nothing to 18.9% of the vote, and a very comfortable 3,282 vote lead over the Green candidate, is a commendable start.
There are a lot of former public school boys in this part of London, so it should suit him
The Feinstein campaign has evolved into the Camden People’s Alliance. In the 2026 Camden council election the Greens agreed not to stand candidates in two wards resulting in the CPA picking up one seat and coming very close in two others. There are 11 wards in the constituency. Labour won 17 seats, Greens 6 and CPA 1. In the Campden Sq ward (2 seats) the difference between the weakest Labour and the best Greens candidate was 18 votes. In the Haverstock ward (3 seats) the difference between Labour and Green was 46 votes and in Kentish Town (2seats) the figure… Read more »
If it was a straight fight between Polanski and Starmer then yes Zack would win easily.However with Burnham as Labour leader it won’t be very easy for the Green Party to win this seat.