Who are the candidates for Labour to replace Keir Starmer in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election?Sir Keir Starmer has represented the Holborn & St Pancras seat since May 2015
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Rachael Burford, Chief Political Correspondent @RachaelBurford2 minutes ago
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Sir Keir Starmer has quit as an MP forcing a by-election in his London constituency.
The former Prime Minister has represented the Holborn & St Pancras seat since May 2015.
But on September 1, just two months after being ousted as Prime Minister by Andy Burnham, he announced he was stepping down.
Following weeks of speculation as to whether he would remain an MP, he told his local newspaper the Camden New Journal, that the “time is right” to “pass the baton” to a new MP.
While the constituency has previously been seen as a safe Labour seat, with Sir Keir winning almost half of the votes cast at the last general election, the Green Party made major gains in the area at the local polls in May.
Green leader Zack Polanski has announced his bid to become the next MP saying: “I have lived and worked in this community over many years, I know it well and I love it.”
The Labour Party has opened applications to replace Sir Keir in what is expected to be a highly competitive contest.
Candidates have until midday on September 4 to apply. Interviews to whittle down the list will then take place, before the candidate is picked after hustings and a selection meeting on September 9.
Here are the Labour figures expected to apply for the converted seat.
Sagal Abdi-Wali
Camden council leader Sagal Abdi-WaliCamden council
Sagal Abdi-Wali has been tipped as an early front-runner to take over from Sir Keir.
The Somalian former child refugee is the leader of Camden council and was previously the chairwoman of the local constituency Labour Party.
Ms Abdi-Wali came to Britain in the early 1990s to escape civil war and was first elected as a Labour councillor in 2022.
She has previously discussed her experience fleeing Somalia, telling the Labour List website in 2019: “Camden has been my home since I moved here with my family as a child refugee, fleeing wartorn Somalia.
“This new home is where I was raised and educated; it’s where I now work for the council and volunteer for local community groups and charities.
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“It is an area steeped in close community values, progressivism and inclusion, all of which have shaped who I am and the socialist principles by which I stand.”
After the local elections in May, she was appointed the leader of Camden council.
Tanweer Khan
Tanweer KhanES
Tanweer Khan, a former Redbridge councillor, is understood to have put his name forward.
The investment banker and tech entrepreneur has previously accused Labour staff of placing “false” racism allegations on his official party file in a bid to smear him.
Mr Khan, who represented the Mayfield ward in Redbridge from 2022 until 2026, was briefly suspended from the Labour Party following accusations he had made anti-Semitic posts attacking “Jewish-owned” social media businesses.
He was later readmitted to the party but only after the allegation meant he was rejected from standing as an MP in Pendle and Clitheroe, the north west constituency he grew up in.
Mr Khan previously warned that there were “rogue individuals” in Labour who “need to be removed or they will destroy the party”.
He said he has been falsely accused of being both antisemitic and anti-Palestinian, which has had a devastating impact on his career and family life.
Saqhib Ali
Saqhib Ali is understood to have put his name forward.
He ran to be the Labour mayor of Bedford in 2023, coming third behind the Conservative and Liberal Democrat candidates.
An accountant for over three decades, he has also worked as a director in the NHS.
In 2015, Mr Ali stood in the North East Bedfordshire seat and finished second.
During previous election campaigns, he has spoken about the need to improve town centres, make public transport more affordable and tackle the climate emergency.
Sam Theodoridi
Sam Theodoridi has been suggested as a possible outside candidate.
He is a Labour councillor on Worthing Borough Council, representing Castle Ward.
A care worker for over ten years, he has promised in previous election campaigns to “give people with disabilities and care workers a voice”.
Other Parties
Zack Polanski is likely to be selected as the Green candidate after announcing he has put his name forward to fight the seat.
Hussain Shafiei has been selected for the Workers Party.
The Conservatives, the Lib Dems and Reform are yet to choose candidates.
Restore Britain has said it will also field a candidate for the by-election.
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