Sagal Abdi-Wali is the Labour MP for Holborn and St Pancras, and was first elected to parliament in a by-election on 8 October 2026.

In the 2026 Holborn and St Pancras by-election, Abdi-Wali received 12,292 votes, representing 45.1% of the vote share. The Green Party candidate, Zack Polanski, came second with 8,928 votes (32.8%), while the Conservative candidate, Ewan Cameron, secured 1,922 votes (7.1%). Abdi-Wali was duly elected with a majority of 3,364 votes.

The Holborn and St Pancras constituency is located in Inner London, in the London Borough of Camden. The by-election was triggered after Keir Starmer resigned from the House of Commons on 1 September 2026. Starmer, who had represented the seat since the 2015 general election, led Labour to a landslide victory in 2024 but resigned as prime minister two years later. He was replaced by Andy Burnham.

Labour has held the seat since it was created in 1983.

In the 2024 general election for Holborn and St Pancras, Starmer received 18,884 votes (48.9%). He secured a majority of 11,572.

Political Career

Following her victory in Holborn and St Pancras, Abdi-Wali said Labour’s campaign had “given people something to believe in” and that “people need to believe that politics can make their lives better.”

The new Labour MP said she is “deeply grateful” to her immediate predecessors, Starmer and Frank Dobson, for their service and “for the foundations that they’ve left for the next generation”.

She stated: “This is Camden and this is Britain. I want this to demonstrate that you do not have to surrender your hope to succeed. You can lead with optimism, with kindness and with determination.

“I want young people to know that their background does not determine the size of their dreams and that public life is a place for them to make a difference. I came here as a child, and this place gave me so much: a home, education, friendships, a community and opportunity, and it made me who I am.”

Abdi-Wali’s candidacy for the 2026 Holborn and St Pancras by-election followed an internal Labour selection process. The party received 96 applications for the candidacy by the 4 September deadline. On 7 September, Labour announced a shortlist of three Camden councillors: Abdi-Wali, Camron Aref-Adib and Nasrine Djemai. 

Abdi-Wali, described as an ally of Starmer, was selected at a hustings meeting on 9 September.

During the selection process, Reform UK’s home affairs spokesperson, Zia Yusuf, was heavily criticised after he commented on Abdi-Wali’s possible candidacy. Abdi-Wali was tipped as an early favourite to contest Holborn and St Pancras for Labour at the time. 

Yusuf posted to X: “The frontrunner being foisted on the people of Holborn by Labour to replace the former prime minister Keir Starmer in our parliament was born in Somalia. Do you understand what’s happening?”

During an interview on Sky News, business secretary Jonathan Reynolds condemned Yusuf’s remarks as “pretty straightforward racism”.

In an interview with the Guardian, published on 25 September 2026, Abdi-Wali said her priority as the MP for Holborn and St Pancras would be local representation. “I’m literally trying to get through the next few weeks and trying to be the member of parliament for this constituency, and that’s all I care about”, she said.

On housing, Abdi-Wali told the Guardian she was wary of rent controls, saying: “It’s not a solution for the vast majority of people.” 

She added: “But I think everything should be looked at as an option to see how we can really tackle the housing crisis.”

At the time of her selection as the Labour candidate for the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, Abdi-Wali was the leader of Camden Council, having held the post since May 2026. Prior to becoming leader, she served as the cabinet member for better homes.

Abdi-Wali was first elected as a member of the council in 2022.

After becoming Camden council leader in May, Abdi-Wali said: “Camden has been my home for 35 years. It is the place that gave my family sanctuary, that welcomed us, and that has shaped so much of who I am, what I stand for and what inspired my commitment to public service and to working for the community that welcomed us.”

Before Politics

Abdi-Wali moved to Gospel Oak, in Camden, at the age of seven.

Before entering frontline politics, Abdi-Wali worked as a local government officer at Camden Council.

According to Camden Labour, she has also served as a volunteer and trustee for local charities and as a school governor at two Camden schools.

Personal Life

Abdi-Wali was born in Somalia and arrived in London in the early 1990s. She spoke no English at the time. She arrived in London after fleeing war in Somalia with her four brothers and her mother. 

Abdi-Wali’s mother trained as a lawyer in Somalia.

Trivia

Abdi-Wali joined the Labour Party in 2015.

Her father stood as a Liberal Democrat candidate in the 2010 local elections.

Abdi-Wali was Camden’s first black female leader.