Andy Burnham made a surprise visit to the Holborn and St Pancras constituency as Labour was stepping up its campaign for a fierce by-election battle against Zack Polanski and his Green Party.
The Prime Minister met Camden council leader Sagal Abdi-Wali after she was selected as Labour’s candidate for the crunch contest.
“I was so pleased for you,” Mr Burnham told Ms Abdi-Wali.
“I think you've been amazing what you've achieved with Camden Council, but we want you in Parliament.”
Ms Abdi-Wali, who has led Camden Council since May this year, told how Labour activists were hitting the streets ahead of polling day on October 8, with the Greens also already out mass campaigning.
“It's been an amazing day to be able to just get out there and hit the ground running,” she said.
“We had the Prime Minister come down to Holborn and St Pancras, and it was amazing to meet him.”
She added: “We've been able to leaflet all of our Tube stations, and it's amazing the response we’ve had.
“We’ve been walking around the entire constituency, being stopped by local people, telling me that they're going to support us and wanting us to win and make sure that we keep this seat Labour.”
Mr Polanski was picked on Friday as the Green Party candidate to challenge Labour.
He said: “Greens are underdogs here but we have the momentum – and I know we can achieve a historic victory in one of Labour’s safest seats.
“If elected, I will fight every day, in this constituency and in the Houses of Parliament, for the things people care about. Against injustice and on the side of ordinary people, not big money and the powerful.”
London Assembly member Mr Polanski added: “We will fight a positive campaign on the issues we know people care about, and to put as much pressure as we can on Labour to lower bills, for much more affordable housing and rent controls, to reduce massive wealth inequality and to make sure Labour don’t back down on climate action by allowing more North Sea drilling.”
The contest comes after the seat was vacated by Sir Keir Starmer who stood down from Parliament.
Mr Polanski had been widely expected to be chosen, having declared his plan to fight the contest.
However, he was competing against local councillor Hamza Chowdhury for the Green nomination.
The by-election will provide an early test of Mr Burnham’s popularity with the public.
After his low-key visit to north London on Thursday, it was not yet clear how prominent a role he will play in Labour’s by-election campaign.
Prime Ministers tend to stay away from many by-elections as the party in Government often loses these contests.
Mr Burnham has also faced accusations that he is “anti-London” which he strongly denies, insisting he “loves” the capital.
The former Mayor of Greater Manchester has even suggested that pubs in the capital are better than some in the North..
Only two Labour MPs have ever represented Holborn and 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 on 10.4%.
The Conservatives came 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, finishing second and third respectively, may have been partly down to former Labour voters protesting against Sir Keir’s refusal to take a stronger position on Israel’s actions in Gaza in the war with Hamas.
The Green Party also made gains in the May local elections in the London Borough of Camden, the local authority that covers the constituency.
Government chief whip Anneliese Midgley moved the writ in the House of Commons on Monday, officially triggering the by-election.
