Sagal Abdi-Wali, a former child refugee from Somalia and current leader of Camden Council, has been chosen as Labour's candidate for the upcoming by-election in Holborn and St Pancras. This follows Keir Starmer’s decision to leave the seat he represented since 2015. Abdi-Wali, who was elected as a Labour councillor in 2022 and previously led the local constituency Labour party, expressed her joy at being selected and stressed her dedication to focusing on the needs of the community in her campaign. She emphasized the role the area played in giving her family hope when they arrived as refugees and pledged to "give back the hope" she received. Abdi-Wali has long been involved in community work, volunteering with local charities and serving as a governor for two schools in the borough. The selection meeting took place at St Pancras church in Euston, with notable attendees including MP Georgia Gould and her mother, Lady Gail Rebuck. She will face competition from Zack Polanski, who plans to run for the Green Party. While the Greens are still finalizing their candidate, a decision is expected by next Friday. The by-election is scheduled for 8 October and will see Labour, led by Andy Burnham, challenge the Greens, who have experienced a surge in membership in recent months. Polanski’s leadership has helped the Greens gain traction in polls, although recent controversies have affected his popularity. Labour has also seen some support shift to the Greens in the area since Starmer became prime minister. Starmer’s decision to leave Parliament came after a notable drop in his majority, which fell from nearly 28,000 to 11,500 at the last general election. His main rival at the time, Andrew Feinstein, a leftwing independent, has since confirmed he will not run again. The Camden People’s Alliance, which grew out of Feinstein’s campaign, is likely to support the Greens. In the 2024 general election, Starmer won the seat with 48.9% of the vote, ahead of Feinstein (18.9%) and the Greens (10.4%). The Conservatives came fourth with 7.2%, Reform fifth with 6.1%, and the Liberal Democrats sixth with 5.8%. The Greens made progress in the May local elections in the London Borough of Camden, though they did not take control of the council. Abdi-Wali faced criticism when Reform UK’s Zia Yusuf claimed she was not British in a social media post, which Labour called "straightforward racism." Labour has stated that all cabinet members are expected to campaign in the seat, with the first official weekend of the campaign named the "Make Hope Win Weekend." Labour's byelection campaign lead, Liam Conlon MP, praised Abdi-Wali’s efforts in improving council housing, reducing homelessness, and addressing antisocial behavior.