Greens concede defeat in Holborn and St Pancras byelection as count continues

Greens concede defeat

The Green party has conceded defeat in the Holborn and St Pancras byelection, admitting they have missed out on victory but claiming a "close second" behind Labour as votes are counted in north London.

Ballot papers are currently being tallied at Camden Council's headquarters, with a final result expected in the early hours of Friday morning. The contest was triggered last month when the former Prime Minister and Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, resigned his seat after being ousted from Downing Street by Andy Burnham in July.

While the formal announcement is still to come, Green officials have already acknowledged they fell short. "It is clear now we will come a close second in this by-election," a party spokesperson said, arguing that taking the fight to Labour in one of its safest seats showed "just how far the Greens have come."

Zionism policy sparks internal split

The defeat brings an end to a highly difficult week for the Greens and their leader, Zack Polanski, who was standing as the candidate. The party has been engulfed in a fierce internal row since its conference in Brighton last weekend, when members voted to adopt a policy declaring Zionism to be a form of racism and calling for Israel to be replaced by a single Palestinian state.

The move triggered immediate condemnation from Jewish community groups, mainstream political opponents, and the European Green Party. Crucially, it also split the party itself. Four of the Greens' five MPs publicly distanced themselves from the policy, and the head of the Jewish Greens warned she might resign from the party. Polanski himself was not present for the vote, having missed it to campaign in the constituency.

The fallout has left Polanski facing serious questions about his leadership. Speaking to BBC Newsnight shortly after polls closed on Thursday night, the former Green leader Caroline Lucas pointedly declined to say whether Polanski should step down.

Labour holds off challenge

For Labour and their candidate, Sagal Abdi-Wali, the imminent victory represents a steadying of the ship. While Starmer's majority in the seat was cut to 11,500 at the general election in July, the party appears to have held off a highly energetic Green campaign that saw thousands of activists arrive to knock on doors.

The Greens had been hoping to repeat their stunning byelection success in Gorton and Denton earlier this year, which briefly saw them rise to 21% in the national polls. Since then, however, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has shifted Labour towards a more left-leaning platform, while Green support has slipped back to around 11% in recent YouGov polling.