Holborn and St Pancras by-election live: Polanski eyes upset in Starmer’s old seat as central London goes to the polls

Labour has held the Holborn and St Pancras seat continuously since it was created in 1983, but voters there have moved towards Green and independent candidates in recent years.

In May’s local elections, the Greens also saw major success, with Zoe Garbett becoming the UK’s first directly-elected Green mayor in Hackney – ending decades of Labour power in the position. Hours later, the party won another mayoralty in Lewisham.

Labour lost three councils to the Greens, including Hackney, Waltham Forest and Norwich, and also became the largest party in Lambeth. They also swept up Hastings council which was previously under no overall control.

In her own Camden Square ward, Sagal Abdi-Walli won by only a small margin of 60 votes to the Green Party candidate.

Ewan Cameron, a former Camden councillor and local political campaigner, will be the Conservative representative in the by-election.

The party came fourth in 2024, and is unlikely to secure a victory this week.

Tory candidate Mr Cameron said he had been “honoured” to be selected as his party’s candidate.

“This is the community where I have lived, raised my family and call home,” he said.

“From Georgian terraces, squares and the Regent’s Canal to the Knowledge Quarter’s research, AI and science organisations today, Holborn and St Pancras has enormous potential that with the right political leadership can become an even better place to live, work and belong.

“We need a member of Parliament focused on safer streets, more family homes and cutting the cost of living.

“While families are leaving Holborn and St Pancras, the Green leader wants to talk about Gaza. Holborn and St Pancras has recently endured a ‘Never Here’ MP. We do not want another one.”

Here is a list of by-election candidates in full:

• Communist League: Jonathan Silberman
• Conservatives: Ewan Cameron
• Christian Peoples Alliance: Helen Spiby-Vann
• Climate Party: Clare Fisher
• Green Party: Zack Polanski
• Official Monster Raving Loony Party: Barmy Brunch
• Independent: Tom Darwood
• Labour: Sagal Abdi-Wali
• Liberal Democrats: Patrick Stillman
• Reform UK: Pete Newman
• Rejoin EU Party: Briony Kapoor
• Restore Britain: Tyler Johnson
• UK VOICE: Ketankumar Pipaliya
• UKIP: Ben Walker
• Workers Party: George Galloway

Patrick Stillman, a Liberal Democrat councillor for West Hampstead and outgoing chairman of Camden Lib Dems, will be the party’s candidate in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election.

The party faces a tough prospect in the seat, having come sixth in 2024, but has told voters they “deserve better” than Labour or the Greens “using this seat to prop up its leader’s ambitions”.

Speaking as he announced his candidacy Lib Dem candidate Mr Stillman said: “I’m proud to have been selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Holborn and St Pancras.

“Voters here deserve better than a Labour government in chaos, or a Green Party using this seat to prop up its leader’s ambitions.

“We have a distinct, confident liberal message – on housing, on safety, on giving young Londoners like me a fair shot at building a life here – and I’m going to make that case on every doorstep between now and October 8.”

A by-election is not complete without photos of dogs at a polling station.

Here’s the morning round-up.

The count will begin after polling stations close at 10pm on Thursday.

The result of by-elections usually are announced in the early hours of the morning the following day.

In 2024, the result in the general election vote in Holborn and St Pancras was announced at 4.15am.

The seat has been a Labour stronghold for 32 years, but dozens of candidates are standing for election, with the Green Party in particular hoping to break the decades-long streak as Zack Polanski eyes a seat in the House of Commons.

It could be a defining moment for Mr Polanski’s leadership of the party, which has seen a surge in membership and record-breaking results in the May 2026 local elections, gaining more than 440 councillors and gaining control of five councils.

Ahead of polls opening on Thursday, the Green Party leader said: “The election is looking close today.

“We already have a Labour government, a Labour council and a Labour mayor.

“Isn’t it time for a Green voice for Camden to push Labour to do better on issues like rent controls and to put Thames Water into public ownership – issues where they’ve been backtracking?

“On the climate crisis, today is the day to say clearly to Labour, ‘no new drilling in the North Sea’ – a decision they chose to delay until after the by-election result. That makes your vote powerful.

“A vote for the Greens today can show Labour the right direction. Make it happen today.”

Reform UK has chosen a former Metropolitan Police detective to stand in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, the party has announced.

Former counter-terrorism commander Pete Newman, who responded to the aftermath of the July 7 bombings, will contest the seat vacated by Sir Keir Starmer.

The party said he had specifically led the Met in Westminster to return the borough back to normality and helping businesses to build resilience to future acts of terrorism.