Polls close in Holborn and St Pancras by-election as Labour faces Green challenge

Polls closed on Thursday, 8 October, in the parliamentary by-election in Holborn and St Pancras, north London, where Labour is defending Keir Starmer’s former seat against a challenge led by Green Party leader Zack Polanski. The Guardian reported the close of voting shortly after 10pm local time. Counting was due to follow, but the available reports did not establish a winner or turnout.

The result is expected in the early hours of Friday, according to Al Jazeera’s election-day report. The Independent said counting would begin after polling stations closed at 10pm and noted that by-election results are usually announced overnight. Those timings are expectations, not a declared result or a confirmed time for its announcement.

Why the Holborn and St Pancras vote matters

The contest was triggered by Starmer’s resignation from the House of Commons in September, Al Jazeera reported. He had won the constituency for Labour at the 2024 general election with a majority of more than 11,000 votes, according to the Guardian. Al Jazeera says Labour has held the seat continuously since the constituency was created in 1983.

The Independent reported that Starmer received 18,884 votes, or 48.9%, in 2024. Independent candidate Andrew Feinstein was second with 7,312 votes, or 18.9%, while the Greens took 4,030 votes, or 10.4%. Those figures show the size of Labour’s previous advantage, but they cannot establish how voters chose in Thursday’s by-election.

The vote is being watched beyond the constituency because it is an early electoral test for Prime Minister Andy Burnham. The Guardian framed the question as whether he can unite Labour voters while Polanski seeks support from the party’s progressive flank. Al Jazeera similarly described the contest as a test of Burnham’s ability to rebuild confidence in Labour. Those are assessments of the contest’s political stakes, not evidence of its outcome.

What the parties have put before voters

Polanski has argued during the campaign that electing him would press Labour to adopt stronger rent controls, more action on climate change and public ownership of Thames Water, the Guardian reported. The same report described the constituency as having many students, younger voters and renters. It estimated that almost half its residents are aged 18 to 34 and about 45% were born overseas, without identifying the dataset behind those figures in the available text.

The Guardian also reported that the Greens hoped to repeat their February by-election victory in Gorton and Denton, where they overturned a Labour majority. It said the national polling picture had changed since then: a recent YouGov survey put the Greens 16 points behind Labour, which stood at 27%. A national survey does not determine the result in Holborn and St Pancras.

The campaign came during a difficult week for Polanski’s party. The Guardian reported that Green conference members passed a motion equating Zionism with racism by 1,022 votes to 813, despite opposition from four of the party’s five MPs. Polanski left the conference early and did not take part in the vote. The Independent reported that he later said he would not accept excluding people because of the religious or communal body to which they belong.

When the by-election result is expected

The next confirmed step is the count after the 10pm close of polls. Al Jazeera expected a result in the early hours of Friday, while the Independent said that is the usual timetable for a by-election and noted that the constituency’s 2024 general election result was announced at 4.15am. Neither report supplied a confirmed declaration time for this vote.

The result will show whether Labour retains the seat and how Polanski’s challenge fares against Abdi-Wali. Until votes are counted and a declaration is made, the winner, vote shares and turnout remain unknown in the available reporting. Earlier NewsJaws coverage described the constituency’s election-day choice; Thursday night’s new development is that voting has ended and the count can begin.