Voting has begun in the Holborn and St Pancras byelection, a closely watched contest for Keir Starmer's former seat that pits the Greens' Zack Polanski against Labour.
Key facts
- Voting has opened in the Holborn and St Pancras byelection in north London.
- Green Party leader Zack Polanski is standing for his party in the constituency.
- The seat was previously held by Keir Starmer, who stood down as an MP after resigning as prime minister.
- The contest is seen as a gauge of Andy Burnham's ability to energise voters.
- The byelection also tests whether the Greens can take support from Labour's left.
Voting has opened in the Holborn and St Pancras byelection, a north London contest being watched closely as an indicator of the political mood on the left, according to the Guardian.
The seat was previously held by Keir Starmer, who stood down as an MP shortly after resigning as prime minister. The vacancy has triggered a byelection that several parties are treating as significant.
Zack Polanski, who leads the Greens in England and Wales, is standing for his party in the constituency and has led what the Guardian described as an energetic campaign. His candidacy raises the question of whether the Greens can continue to peel off support from Labour’s left.
Labour, meanwhile, will hope to hold on to Starmer’s old seat. The party’s candidate named in the Guardian’s coverage is Sagal Abdi Wali.
The Guardian reports that the contest is seen as a key gauge of Andy Burnham’s ability to energise voters, framing the byelection as a test of leadership and momentum within the broader left.
With polls now open, attention turns to turnout and whether the Greens’ campaign can translate into a result that unsettles Labour in a seat long associated with the party’s former leader.
Why it matters
The byelection is for the former seat of a one-time prime minister, making the result symbolically important for Labour. It also serves as an early test of whether the Greens can erode Labour's support on the left and of the wider political mood.
Frequently asked questions
Whose seat is the Holborn and St Pancras byelection for?
The seat was previously held by Keir Starmer, who stood down as an MP shortly after resigning as prime minister, according to the Guardian.
Who is standing for the Greens?
Zack Polanski, who leads the Greens in England and Wales, is standing for his party in the constituency.
Why is the byelection seen as significant?
The Guardian reports it is viewed as a gauge of Andy Burnham's ability to energise voters and whether the Greens can take support from Labour's left.