Anti-Israel Green leader Polanski will contest Starmer's old seat in UK Parliament

Jewish head of party embroiled in antisemitism scandals will run in Holborn and St. Pancras by-election on Oct. 8; two years ago, an independent anti-Israel candidate got 19% of the vote there, and Greens got 10%

The leader of Britain’s left-wing Green Party, Zack Polanski, was on Friday confirmed as the party’s candidate for a seat in parliament vacated by former Labour prime minister Keir Starmer.

Polanski will be the Green candidate for Holborn and St. Pancras, a left-leaning constituency which Starmer held comfortably in 2024, though with a much-reduced vote share, in a by-election due to take place on October 8.

In the election two years ago, an independent candidate who campaigned primarily on opposition to Israel’s war in Gaza took nearly 19 percent of the vote in that constituency, though that candidate has ruled himself out this time round. The Green Party candidate received over 10% in 2024.

Polanski, who is Jewish, focused a substantial part of his party’s recent local election campaigns on opposition to Israel, and liked a post suggesting then-premier Starmer was being paid by the Jewish state.

Polanski is the most prominent Jewish critic of Israel in mainstream UK politics. He has called to end all arms sales, trade and diplomatic ties with Israel, and decried Starmer for complicity in what he says is “the very obvious genocide in Gaza.” His pro-Palestinian stance has taken center stage in the Green Party’s platform, alongside the environment and affordability.

Starmer, who was pushed out as premier in June, announced on September 1 that he was quitting Parliament altogether.

Polanski told supporters on Friday: “Greens might be the underdog in this election, but we have the momentum and we can win.”

Earlier this week, the Labour Party selected the leader of the local council, Sagal Abdi-Wali, as their candidate for the by-election.

Day one, done! ✅

A huge thanks to everyone who came out to support us today – including Andy Burnham! pic.twitter.com/e4r0BUQDK8

— Sagal Abdi-Wali (@Sagal_AW) September 10, 2026

Abdi-Wali, 42, came to the UK from Somalia as a child refugee. She is active in local charities and serves as governor of two schools, The Guardian reported.

She has spent years fostering inter-community relations, including with the Jewish community, and told The Guardian this week that “if Greens stir up community antagonisms over Gaza, that would be disgraceful.”

Green Party leader Zack Polanski, center, and former Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn (far left) join protesters holding placards and waving flags as they take part in a march against the far right in central London on March 28, 2026. (Henry Nicholls/AFP)

Polanski’s party has been embroiled in a string of antisemitic scandals, with many Green candidates posting antisemitic and anti-Israel screeds on social media. Ahead of local council elections earlier this year, the Greens were reportedly investigating 30 of their own candidates for antisemitism.

The party leader himself faced a backlash earlier this year after retweeting a post criticizing police over how they arrested a knife-wielding attacker who had just stabbed two Jewish men in a Jewish neighborhood of London. His comments prompted a swift rebuke from London police chief Mark Rowley.