Green nomination contest opens in Starmer’s former constituency
Camden councillor Hamza Chowdhury is challenging Green Party leader Zack Polanski for the nomination ahead of the 8 October vote.
The Green Party’s selection contest for the Holborn and St Pancras byelection has widened, with Camden councillor Hamza Chowdhury challenging party leader Zack Polanski for the nomination.
Chowdhury said in an Instagram post that six other Camden Green councillors had nominated him, including group leader Lorna Russell. The claim would represent support from seven of the authority’s 10 Green councillors, although it has not been independently verified.
Polanski announced last Thursday that he would seek the nomination. He lives in Hackney and has said he would not move to the constituency if selected, but would cycle there regularly and hold surgeries.
Local Green Party members are expected to vote on the candidate later this week. The Guardian reported that members were broadly supportive of Polanski, without quantifying that support.
The byelection is scheduled for 8 October, one week after the Green Party conference, potentially affecting the party’s campaigning presence during the final weekend. Starmer won the seat by more than 11,000 votes at the 2024 general election.
The Greens are seeking to build on their February victory over a large Labour majority in Gorton and Denton, but Polanski has described the party as an underdog in Holborn and St Pancras. The nomination outcome remains undecided.
