‘The real deal’: Sagal Abdi-Wali’s journey from child refugee to Labour MP in former PM’s seat
Decades of volunteering combined with years of active local party politics propels Abdi-Wali to victory over Green leader Zack Polanski For Sagal Abdi-Wali, the new MP for Holborn
By The Guardian
Sagal Abdi-Wali has been elected as the new Labour MP for Holborn and St Pancras, replacing former prime minister Keir Starmer.
The Camden Council leader won 12,292 votes in the by-election, securing 45% of the total. Green Party leader Zack Polanski finished second with 8,928 votes, giving Abdi-Wali a majority of 3,364.
The contest followed Starmer’s resignation as the MP for the north London constituency.
Abdi-Wali came to the UK from Somalia as a child refugee in the 1990s. She grew up in Camden and was elected as a Camden councillor in 2022 before becoming council leader in May.
In her acceptance speech, Abdi-Wali described the result as “deeply personal”. She said she had lived in the area since arriving in Britain as a seven-year-old with her mother and four brothers.
The new MP said she hoped her journey would inspire “people who look like me”, adding: “This is Camden and this is Britain.”
Abdi-Wali also said the result represented the success of diversity in the borough. She is the first woman to represent the area in Parliament since Lena Jeger, who represented the former Holborn and St Pancras South seat between 1964 and 1979.
Her victory keeps the seat with Labour, although the party’s majority was reduced from 11,572 at the previous general election to 3,364.
Abdi-Wali said she wanted to focus on issues including homelessness and opportunities for young people.