Green Party Leader Zack Polanski to stand in Holborn and St Pancras by-election

LONDON — Green Party Leader Zack Polanski announced Thursday he wants to stand as a candidate in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election to succeed Keir Starmer.

Polanski, who took over the left-wing party last year, told the Camden New Journal he hopes to represent the Greens in the central London contest — a shot across Labour’s bows in what has previously been considered a safe seat for the governing party.

“I have lived and worked in this community over many years, I know it well and I love it,” the Green leader said. “It represents so many of the things that make London so special. I am so excited by the prospect of representing this place in Parliament.”

Starmer stood down from the House of Commons this week, saying he wanted to devote more attention to international affairs. He quit as prime minister earlier this year after losing support in his own party, and has been succeeded by Andy Burnham. No date has yet been set for the contest.

Polanski will still need to be selected by local Green Party members. That selection is expected to take place next week.

In a taste of his campaign pitch, Polanski said “voters will have someone who will always fight their corner — never scared of big donors or the party whip.”

And he charged: “Too often Labour has stood up for corporations and big money. I will stand up for people struggling to pay their bills.”

Polanski has overseen a boost to the Green Party membership and led his party to a strong performance at the local elections in May, but has faced scrutiny around the vetting of candidates and his social media posts. He has been a member of the London Assembly scrutinizing Mayor Sadiq Khan since 2021.

Starmer held the Holborn and St Pancras seat in 2024 with an 11,572 majority, but faced a strong challenge from a left-wing independent and the Greens.