LONDON (AP) — Britain’s governing Labour Party was declared winner of a special election in London on Friday, dealing a blow to the leader of the fast-growing Green Party, who is facing a backlash over the party’s anti-Zionist stance and doubts about whether he can continue to lead the party from outside the House of Commons.
Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali won the contest for Holborn and St. Pancras, the district left vacant by the resignation of
former Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with 12,292 votes, 45% of the total. Green leader Zack Polanski got 8,928 votes, just under 33%.
Abdi-Wali, who came to Britain from Somalia as a child refugee, said after the result was announced that she was honored to represent an area that had given her opportunities in life.
“I hope this moment also says something about who gets to belong,” said Abdi-Wali, leader of the local authority, Camden Council. “For people who look like me, I hope they see themselves reflected in this place and know that their path too belongs here.”
The Greens have grown rapidly under the “eco-populist” Polanski, broadening their message beyond environmental concerns to focus on issues including the cost of living, legalization of drugs and support for the Palestinian cause.
They have positioned themselves as an alternative to Labour for left-liberal voters, and gained momentum when they beat Labour in a special election last year.
But some members think the party has moved too far from its environmentalist roots, and Polanski’s campaign was overshadowed by the Green Party’s decision earlier this month to declare Zionism, the political movement for a Jewish homeland, a form of racism.
The motion, approved by a vote of party members, has been condemned by most elected Green lawmakers, divided the party and alarmed many British Jews. Israel declared the motion antisemitic and barred Polanski, who is Jewish, from entering the country.
Polanski told Sky News on Friday that it is “difficult being leader of any party, particularly the Green Party.”
“But I signed up for that difficult job and I’m more than ready to continue,” he said.
