Green Party faces internal challenge for Holborn and St Pancras
Green Party leader Zack Polanski will face an internal challenge to become his party’s candidate in the by-election caused by Sir Keir Starmer leaving Parliament, reports BritPanorama.
Local councillor Hamza Chowdhury has launched his own bid for the Green nomination, stating that Holborn and St Pancras does not need “another MP who arrives during an election campaign” and then “disappears once the votes are counted”.
Mr Polanski expressed earlier enthusiasm, describing himself as “excited” about the possibility of winning the seat to secure a position in Parliament.
The nominee will be selected by local Green Party members in a contest that has the potential to test Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s public popularity, as constituency voters have increasingly favoured Green and independent candidates over Labour in recent years.
Mr Chowdhury asserted that a “global majority” candidate would be ideally positioned to represent the “extraordinary diversity of the communities” in the seat.
He emphasised, “We don’t need another MP who arrives during an election campaign, puts out a few leaflets, makes a few promises and disappears once the votes are counted.”
Furthering his argument, he added, “I’m not asking you to vote for a politician you’ll only see on a leaflet. I’m asking you to choose someone who is already here.”
Mr Polanski, who serves on the London Assembly, confirmed his intentions to contest the seat in an interview with the Camden New Journal, stating, “I have lived and worked in this community over many years, I know it well and I love it. It represents so many of the things that make London so special. I am so excited by the prospect of representing this place in Parliament.”
Green Party members in the constituency are expected to decide on their candidate on Thursday, with the results announced on Friday.
The Greens are anticipated to pose a significant challenge in the by-election to Labour, which has held the inner London constituency continuously since its creation in 1983, winning at least 40 per cent of the vote at every election.
Only two Labour MPs have represented Holborn and St Pancras: former health secretary Frank Dobson from 1983 to 2015 and Sir Keir thereafter.
In the most recent general election of 2024, Sir Keir secured the seat with 48.9 per cent of the vote, followed by independent candidate Andrew Feinstein at 18.9 per cent and the Greens at 10.4 per cent. The Conservatives attained 7.2 per cent, Reform parties 6.1 per cent, and the Liberal Democrats collected 5.8 per cent.
The notable performance of independent and Green candidates in the 2024 election, who placed second and third respectively, may have been influenced by former Labour voters reacting to Sir Keir’s stance on Israel’s actions in Gaza during the conflict with Hamas.
The Green Party also made notable gains in the May local elections in the London Borough of Camden, which covers the constituency.
Currently, a date for the Holborn and St Pancras by-election has yet to be determined.
