Labour could face challenge from Greens and independents in Holborn seat as Starmer's resignation forces by-election
Sir Keir Starmer is to quit Parliament, saying he felt it was the “right time” to step down as an MP and focus on new work on international affairs.
Labour’s main challenge at the forthcoming by-election in Holborn & St Pancras is likely to come from the Green party, an independent candidate or possibly both, if trends seen at the last general election are repeated.
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Former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has forced a by-election in the London seat after announcing he is stepping down as an MP.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski is understood to be considering standing in the constituency.
Labour has held this inner London constituency continuously since the seat was created in 1983, winning at least 40% of the vote at every election.
Only two Labour MPs have ever represented Holborn & St Pancras: former health secretary Frank Dobson, from 1983 to 2015, then Sir Keir.
At the most recent general election in 2024, Sir Keir held the seat with 48.9% of the vote, ahead of independent candidate Andrew Feinstein in second place on 18.9% and the Greens in third place on 10.4%.
Read more: Sir Keir Starmer to step down as MP triggering by-election
Read more: When will by-election be to replace Sir Keir Starmer?
The Conservatives were fourth on 7.2%, Reform finished fifth on 6.1% and the Liberal Democrats were sixth on 5.8%.
The popularity of the independent and Green candidates at the 2024 contest may have been partly down to former Labour voters protesting at Sir Keir’s refusal to take a stronger position on Israel’s actions in Gaza in the war with Hamas.
Both the independent and Green candidates focused on this issue during the election campaign.
Sir Keir won a much larger share of the vote at the 2019 election (64.5%) than in 2024 (48.9%), while his majority fell from 27,763 to 11,572.
The constituency of Holborn & St Pancras is within the local authority of Camden, where local elections took place earlier this year in May.
Labour retained control of the council, but with a reduced majority, winning 30 of the 55 seats up for grabs, down from 47 out of 55 in 2022.
The Greens won 11 council seats, seven of which were in the part of the borough covered by the constituency of Holborn & St Pancras.
The party has since lost one of these seats to Labour in a by-election.
It has been an honour and a privilege to represent Holborn and St Pancras for the last 11 years.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) September 1, 2026
My statement. pic.twitter.com/xzu4xcIno2
Sir Keir announced his plan to step away from Parliament in a statement on X on Tuesday.
The former Prime Minister – who previously said he would serve out the rest of his term – informed local Labour constituency party staff of his departure after 11 years representing the constituency, and said he would back whoever is selected as the party’s candidate.
In a statement, Sir Keir said: “It’s been an honour and privilege to represent the best constituency in the country since taking over from the great Frank Dobson 11 years ago.
“But it is now time to step aside and focus on other issues: international affairs including defence, security, trade and technology in a fast-changing world. I will also continue working with others as I have done over many decades to tackle violence against women and girls.
“As I do that, I will always remain immensely proud to have represented the place Vic, the kids and I call home.”