Labour Retains Former PM’s Parliamentary Seat in London By-Election

Dragon Media News Desk

Britain’s ruling Labour Party has won the by-election in the London constituency of Holborn and St Pancras. Results announced early Friday showed that Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali received 12,292 votes.

Green Party leader Zack Polanski came second with 8,928 votes, while Conservative candidate Ewan Cameron finished third with 1,922. Before the official result was announced, a Green Party spokesperson conceded defeat, saying the party expected to finish a close second.

The by-election was triggered by former Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s resignation as a member of Parliament last month. Starmer had represented the constituency since 2015. He announced his resignation as Labour leader on June 22 and formally stepped down as prime minister on July 20.

Labour has held the constituency continuously since it was created in 1983. The by-election was widely viewed as a key electoral test for Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s Labour Party, particularly its ability to retain support among left-wing voters as the Greens gain ground.