Who is Sagal Abdi-Wali? New London MP who escaped civil war in Somalia as a child

Labour’s Sagal Abdi-Wali has been declared the new MP for Holborn and St Pancras .

The Camden Council leader polled 12,292 votes - 3,364 more than second-place Zack Polanski, for the Greens.

Mr Abdi-Wali was chosen to lead the north London council in May this year, but will likely be stepping down after winningthe parliamentary seat vacated by former Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer early on Friday.

Sir Keir resigned from his seat in the summer, stating it was the “right time” to quit and "pass the baton to a successor”, despite pledging to remain as a backbench MP until the next general election in 2029.

His sudden exit from Parliament triggered the by-election in Holborn and St Pancras, with the Green candidate, party leader Zack Polanski, mobilising to take a constituency that has typically been a Labour stronghold.

Labour had whittled down more than 100 candidates for the coveted seat to just three, who are all Camden councillors.

But the favourite for the party at the by-election was Camden council leader Ms Abdi-Wali.

Labour Party candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali leaves the stage after winning the Holborn and St Pancras by-election on Friday, October 9 Getty Polling stations closed at 10pm on Thursday, bringing voting to an end after thousands of voters headed to the ballot box in this closely watched contest.

Sagal Abdi-Wali first came to Britain in the early 1990s as a child refugee escaping civil war in Somalia.

First elected as a local councillor in 2022, Ms Abdi-Wali made history in May by becoming Camden’s first black female leader.

She has previously discussed her experience fleeing Somalia, telling the LabourList website in 2019: "Camden has been my home since I moved here with my family as a child refugee, fleeing war-torn Somalia.

"This new home is where I was raised and educated; it's where I now work for the council and volunteer for local community groups and charities.

“It is an area steeped in close community values, progressivism and inclusion, all of which have shaped who I am and the socialist principles by which I stand."

She was first elected as a Labour councillor for the Camden Square ward in 2022.