Who is Sagal Abdi-Wali? Labour’s new MP who beat Zack Polanski in by-election

WorldPolitics
9 Oct 2026 • 5:15 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

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Who is Sagal Abdi-Wali? Labour’s new MP who beat Zack Polanski in by-election

  • Sagal Abdi-Wali has hailed her victory in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election as a triumph for diversity, cautioning that social cohesion must not be "casually undone".
  • The new Labour MP secured a 3,364-vote majority ahead of second-placed Green Party leader Zack Polanski, expressing her desire for "people like (her)" to feel that they "belong here". Tipped as the favourite prior to the vote, the Camden Council leader previously noted how the borough had welcomed her family when they arrived as refugees.
  • Ms Abdi-Wali said she wanted to bring Thames Water into “public ownership”, tackle rough sleeping and create more opportunities for young people.
  • While speaking of her desire to work with prime minister Andy Burnham to address the wider housing crisis, she said: “Homelessness is the issue that first drove me into politics, and no-one should be sleeping on the streets, and no family should be left without security in the home.”
  • She succeeds Sir Keir Starmer, who stepped down from the parliamentary seat in September after resigning as prime minister. She is the area’s first female MP since Lena Jeger, who represented the previous seat of Holborn and St Pancras South from 1964-1979.

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