Full Breakdown
Holborn and St Pancras By-Election: Candidates, History and Campaign Focus
By Drooid · · How we work
By-Election Overview
The Holborn and St Pancras parliamentary seat will be contested on October 8 after the vacancy was created when former prime minister Sir Keir announced his resignation as MP on September 1. Nominations close on September 15. The contest pits Conservative candidate Ewan Cameron, Labour leader Sagal Abdi-Wali (Camden Council leader) and Green Party leader Zack Polanski against each other, with independent Andrew Feinstein also in the race.
Candidate Backgrounds
- Ewan Cameron – former Camden councillor for Belsize (1998-2002) and member of the council’s development control committee. He stood again in the May borough elections, finishing 10th of 14 in West Hampstead with 376 votes.
- Sagal Abdi-Wali – leader of Camden Council, selected by Labour to defend the seat the party has held since its creation in 1983.
- Zack Polanski – Green Party leader, positioned as the most serious challenger to Labour’s dominance.
- Andrew Feinstein – independent candidate who placed ahead of the Conservatives in the 2024 general election.
Campaign Issues and Party Positions
He highlighted local assets such as Georgian terraces, the Regent’s Canal and the Knowledge Quarter’s research and AI organisations, arguing they offer “enormous potential” for the constituency. Labour’s campaign is expected to defend its long-standing hold, while the Greens stress broader concerns, including the government’s approach to Gaza, which the Independent notes has shifted some Labour voters toward the Greens and independents.
Data and Electoral History
In the 2024 general election the Conservatives secured the fourth-largest vote total in the constituency, behind Labour, independent Andrew Feinstein and the Greens. The seat has been Labour-held continuously since 1983. Cameron’s prior council result (376 votes, 10th place) underscores his limited recent electoral success in the area.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Under Kemi Badenoch's leadership the Conservative Party has changed, we have clear, fully costed plans to recruit 10,000 more police officers, scrap stamp duty on family homes and cut bills with our Cheap Power Plan.” — Ewan Cameron, former camden councillor