Zack Polanski gets huge boost in Holborn by-election battle between Greens and LabourAn independent candidate backed by 7,300 voters at the 2024 general election in the north London constituency is urging them to support the Green leader
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Nicholas Cecil, Chief Reporter @nicholascecil1 minute ago
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Zack Polanski has gained the full backing in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election from an independent candidate who came second in the constituency at the 2024 general election.
Andrew Feinstein urged the 7,300 people who supported him two years ago to vote Green at the by-election on October 8.
“As an independent I received 20% of the vote in Holborn & St.Pancras against Keir Starmer,” he posted on X.
“I strongly encourage all those who supported me to vote for @ZackPolanski so we can consign not just Starmer but Starmerism too, to the dustbin of history.”
Zack Polanski campaigning in the Holborn and St Pancras by-electionAFP/Getty
At the general election, Labour won the north London seat with a majority, of 11,572.
Sir Keir gained 18,884 votes, with the Greens far behind in third place with 4,030.
However, Mr Feinstein got 7,312 votes.
If the bulk of these people switched to supporting Mr Polanski the by-election race could get close.
However, Andy Burnham has injected new hope into Labour ranks, stepping up the fight against the Greens for Left-leaning voters in London and beyond.
Andy Burnham and Sagal Abdi-Wali, Labour’s candidate for Holborn and St PancrasLabour
Sir Keir’s administration focused more on people who had deserted Labour for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.
However, he faced criticism from some Labour MPs who pointed to polls which showed their party losing more voters to the Greens and the Liberal Democrats than to Reform.
Mr Burnham has struck a more positive note, with his devolution revolution and action to ease the cost-of-living crisis, than Labour had during Sir Keir’s premiership.
He has also taken a tougher stance against Israel, with sanctions announced last week over illegal settlements in the West Bank.
The new Prime Minister, who cancelled a series of events planned for the start of the week after the death of his father, made a surprise visit to the north London constituency last Thursday
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He met Labour’s candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali, the leader of Camden Council, as she was stepping up her campaign.
Both Labour and the Greens have been out canvassing in force over the weekend and on other days in the crunch by-election.
Sagal Abdi-Wali, Labour candidate for the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, with Georgia Gould (left), MP for Queen’s Park and Maida Vale, and Florence Eshalomi (right), MP for Vauxhall and Camberwell Green, at the launch of her campaignPA
The Tories announced their candidate would be Ewan Cameron, a former Camden councillor and local political campaigner.
He said: “I am honoured to have been selected as the Conservative candidate for Holborn and St Pancras. This is the community where I have lived, raised my family and call home.
“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.”
The contest was triggered when Sir Keir announced he would stand down as MP for the London constituency when Parliament returned on September 1.
Nominations for candidates close on September 15.
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Zack PolanskiHolborn and St Pancrasby-electionGreenAndy Burnham