Green Party leader Zack Polanski has said he intends to stand in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election triggered by the resignation of former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Announcing his plan to contest the seat, Mr Polanski told the Camden New Journal: “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.”
Sir Keir announced his plan to quit parliament earlier this week, saying he felt it was the “right time” to step down as an MP and focus on new work on international affairs.
He was replaced by Andy Burnham as prime minister and Labour leader in July after losing the support of his party in the wake of a string of missteps, policy U-turns and dire local election results.
The Green Party is expected to be Labour’s main challenger at the forthcoming by-election in Holborn and St Pancras, if trends seen at the last general election are repeated.
Mr Polanski is yet to have been formally selected by local party members as their candidate for the constituency, but his comments suggest he is confident this will happen.
Reports in recent days have suggested there are splits among Green Party activists about whether they should instead choose an explicitly pro-Gaza candidate for the race.
While Labour has held the inner London constituency continuously since the seat was created in 1983, winning at least 40 per cent of the vote at every election, Sir Keir won a much larger share of the vote at the 2019 election (64.5 per cent) than in 2024 (48.9 per cent), with his majority falling from 27,763 to 11,572.
In 2024, independent candidate Andrew Feinstein came in second place on 18.9 per cent and the Greens in third place on 10.4 per cent.
The Conservatives were fourth on 7.2 per cent, Reform finished fifth on 6.1 per cent, and the Liberal Democrats were sixth on 5.8 per cent.
The popularity of the independent and Green candidates at the 2024 contest, finishing second and third respectively, may have been partly down to former Labour voters protesting at Sir Keir’s refusal to take a stronger position on Israel’s actions in Gaza in the war with Hamas.
The Green Party also made gains in the May local elections in the London Borough of Camden, the local authority that covers the constituency.
Mr Polanski told the Camden New Journal that the constituency had “been held back by governments who have failed to make the changes to improve people’s lives”.
He added: “We know that the Greens can win here, and by electing me, voters will have someone who will always fight their corner – never scared of big donors or the party whip.
“Too often Labour has stood up for corporations and big money. I will stand up for people struggling to pay their bills.”
Announcing his decision to quit in a statement posted to X, Sir Keir said: “It’s been an honour and privilege to represent the best constituency in the country since taking over from the great Frank Dobson 11 years ago.
“But it is now time to step aside and focus on other issues: international affairs including defence, security, trade and technology in a fast-changing world. I will also continue working with others as I have done over many decades to tackle violence against women and girls.
“As I do that, I will always remain immensely proud to have represented the place Vic, the kids and I call home.”
