Lucy Powell ‘confident’ Labour will win Holborn and St Pancras by-election
Speaking to POLITICO, Labour's deputy leader says the insurgent Greens have 'underestimated' the challenge of winning in Holborn and St Pancras.
Labour’s deputy leader, Lucy Powell, expressed confidence that her party will secure victory in the upcoming by-election in the Holborn and St Pancras constituency in north London. During a speech at Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool, Powell dismissed the prospect of Green Party leader Zack Polanski claiming the seat. Powell had previously led Labour’s unsuccessful campaign in Gorton and Denton, where the party finished third behind the Greens and Reform.
Polanski acknowledged his underdog status in the race but maintained that the Green Party could defy expectations and win the historically-safe Labour seat vacated by former Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The Greens made significant gains in the May local elections, particularly in London, where they now control six councils. Powell emphasized the importance of the by-election for Labour but expressed confidence in her party's candidate, Sagal Abdi-Wali, describing her as the "best choice by country mile."
Powell claimed that the Green Party had underestimated Abdi-Wali's campaign, stating that there was "real positivity about her campaign on the ground." She described Abdi-Wali as a "community champion, community leader" and noted the strong support for her among Labour voters who defected to the Greens during Starmer's premiership. Powell acknowledged that Labour has lost both middle-class and working-class voters to the Greens.
The Greens have won four parliamentary seats in the 2024 election, including Bristol Central, North Herefordshire, Waveney Valley, and Brighton Pavilion. They gained their fifth MP through a by-election victory in Gorton and Denton earlier this year. During her POLITICO interview, Powell accused Nigel Farage’s right-wing Reform UK of suggesting that Abdi-Wali was ineligible to stand for MP due to her being a refugee and being born in Somalia.
Reform's home affairs spokesperson, Zia Yusuf, had previously criticized Abdi-Wali's candidacy for her Somali birthplace.
Powell argued that many voters in Holborn and St Pancras would support Labour to reject Farage's notion and reject similar politics.
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