Labour’s candidate in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election has branded comments by Reform UK’s Zia Yusuf “quite sad” as she warned the rhetoric would discourage young people from entering politics.
Sagal Abdi-Wali, who was born in Somalia and came to Britain as a child refugee, is contesting the north London seat vacated by former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Before her selection, Reform's home affairs spokesman Mr Yusuf posted on X that the Labour frontrunner “was born in Somalia”, adding: “Do you understand what’s happening?”
The post prompted criticism from politicians across the political spectrum, including from with his own party.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds described it as “pretty straightforward racism”, while some former Tory cabinet minister Nadine Dorries, who defected to Reform UK last year, branded the remark “nasty”.
Speaking about the incident during a visit to the Capital City College campus in Kings Cross this week, Ms Abdi-Wali said she did not feel personally affected by the post but warned young people could be put off politics over similar comments.
“Ultimately for me, the only thing I thought was it was quite sad," she told the Standard.
“I think it's quite sad. It didn't personally affect me. But I do think about how it might affect young people who might be interested in getting into politics or community work and seeing that kind of negativity and that rhetoric and walking away."
Ms Abdi-Wali said diversity was one of Camden’s strengths and an important part of both her own story and that of people across the borough.
“People here really value diversity and it's one of our key strengths and it's part of my story and so many people across Camden's story and I think across the country," she added.
She said she wanted to encourage people who might otherwise be put off entering public life.
“I just want to, to those people be much more of a voice and let them know that they're, this is a world for them, that this is the place for them and that they have voices like me fighting for them and so many others around the country as well.”
Labour faces stiff competition from the Green Party in the The Holborn and St Pancras contest with the party leader Zack Polanski standing.
The Greens made significant gains at the expense of Labour during the local elections in May, and now lead six boroughs.
Ms Abdi-Wali has served as leader of Camden council since the polls after her predecessor, Richard Olszewski, lost his seat on the local authority to the Green Party.
She described her campaign as being rooted in her experience of the borough and its diverse communities.
The by-election will take place on 8 October.
