Zack Polanski botches chance to be MP as Labour win Holborn and St Pancras by-election in fresh blow for left-winger

ZACK Polanski has been defeated by Labour in the by-election triggered by the resignation of Sir Keir Starmer. The Green leader botched the chance to become an MP in the Holborn and St Pancras contest. Labour’s Camden council leader Sagal Abdi-Wali won the by-election and is Britain’s newest MP. Ms Abdi-Wali received 12,292 votes (45 per cent) while Zack Polanski came second with 8,928 votes (32.7 per cent). It marks a fresh blow for the militant left-winger after his party sparked an international backlash for passing a conference motion that “Zionism is racism”. Ms Abdi-Wali said in her victory speech that she hoped her win showed that anyone gets to belong in Britain. Read more News She said: “This moment means something deeply personal to me, to represent the place that gave me a home and my family at home, gave me opportunity and helped me shape, and help shape the person I am today.” Her victory spared Andy Burnham the embarrassment of losing one of Labour’s traditional safe seats. Former PM Sir Keir held the constituency for 11 years before quitting after being turfed out of Downing Street in a coup. Mr Polanski has been on the ropes since the highly-controversial motion passed at his party’s conference last week. Most read in The Sun He dodged the vote – saying he was campaigning instead – and has hardly commented on it since. The motion called for the abolition of the Jewish state and the establishment of a “single democratic Palestinian state in all historic Palestine and Jerusalem as its capital”. Speaking to Sky News, Mr Polanski said he planned to stay on as leader. Prime Minister Andy Burnham yesterday blasted the decision as “completely wrong” and demanded Green bosses reverse it. The turnout in the by-election was 38.76 per cent and Camden Council said 27,309 ballots were cast. This is down on the 54.46 per cent turnout in the 2024 general election. Tory Ewan Cameron came in third with 1,922 votes and Reform UK fourth on 1,612.