Labour candidate hits back at “hateful rhetoric” in Starmer seat

Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali has condemned what she described as “divisive and hateful rhetoric” surrounding her selection to contest Keir Starmer’s former constituency.

The former child refugee from Somalia said the attacks had strengthened her resolve to represent young people and defend the value of immigration and diversity in Holborn and St Pancras.

Reform attack sparks furious backlash

Abdi-Wali, who became leader of Camden Council in May, was criticised by Reform UK’s Zia Yusuf over her birthplace. Yusuf wrote that Labour’s frontrunner to replace the former prime minister “was born in Somalia”, prompting Labour to brand the intervention “straightforward racism”.

Abdi-Wali said the controversy had made her consider the impact such language could have on young people considering entering public life. She said she wanted to demonstrate that diversity was a strength and that Camden remained a constituency that valued immigration.

Battle for Starmer’s old seat intensifies

The by-election takes place on October 8, with Abdi-Wali facing Green Party leader Zack Polanski in the contest to succeed Starmer.

She urged Green voters to back Labour, arguing the party remained the country’s “single biggest vehicle for social change”. She also said a Labour MP would have direct access to ministers and the Prime Minister, allowing the constituency to influence decisions at Westminster.

Housing and homelessness become key issues

Abdi-Wali also praised new Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s pledge to tackle rough sleeping and homelessness, describing it as an issue of major importance locally.

She said housing and homelessness were among her own priorities, arguing that rough sleeping had increased significantly in the constituency over the past decade.

The contest now places immigration, diversity, housing and Labour’s record at the centre of a closely watched fight in the former prime minister’s London seat, as Abdi-Wali seeks to turn the controversy surrounding her selection into a wider argument about representation and political participation.

Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali condemns 'hateful rhetoric' over by-election in Keir Starmer's old seat