Sagal Abdi-Wali Sworn in as New Labour MP for Holborn and St Pancras
Abdi-Wali officially took her seat in the House of Commons on Monday following her victory in a recent by-election.
Sagal Abdi-Wali was officially sworn in as the new Holborn and St Pancras MP on Monday afternoon, taking her seat in the House of Commons.
Abdi-Wali secured the north London seat with a 3,364-vote majority over Green Party leader Zack Polanski in the by-election triggered by the resignation of Keir Starmer. Starmer stepped down from the Commons following his ousting as prime minister by Andy Burnham.
She took the oath while holding a copy of the Koran. Abdi-Wali was accompanied to the despatch box by Labour MPs Natasha Irons and Liam Conlon. Following the ceremony, she attended a photocall in Westminster Hall with Prime Minister Andy Burnham and other Labour MPs.
The Holborn and St Pancras by-election was the seventh parliamentary by-election since the general election in 2024. Abdi-Wali, who came to the UK from Somalia as a child refugee, won with 12,292 votes, compared to Mr Polanski's 8,928.
The by-election defeat capped a challenging week for Polanski after his party became involved in a controversy surrounding a motion passed at the Green Party conference in Brighton on October 4. The motion stated 'Zionism is racism', drawing widespread criticism and accusations that the party had become 'extremist'. Opponents also claimed the motion effectively called for the eradication of Israel by referring only to a single Palestinian state.
Polanski controversially skipped the vote on the motion to campaign for the Holborn and St Pancras by-election. His decision led to accusations of a 'lack of leadership' from within his own party.
The Holborn and St Pancras by-election marks the second by-election victory for Labour since the 2024 general election. Reform UK has also secured two by-election wins, while the Conservatives, Greens, and SNP have each won one.
