Mr Polanski said he ‘loves’ the community and ‘knows it well’
Zack Polanski has announced he will stand in a crunch London by-election after Sir Keir Starmer quit as an MP.
The Green Party leader said he ‘loves’ the community in Holborn and St Pancras and ‘knows it well’ after former prime minister Sir Keir announced his resignation as MP after 11 years on Tuesday (September 1). The step down for Sir Keir, who said he would turn his focus to ‘international affairs’, has triggered a by-election in the constituency.
Mr Polanski told the Camden New Journal the constituency ‘has everything that’s the best of our country and so much potential’. He said: “I have lived and worked in this community over many years, I know it well and I love it.
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“It represents so many of the things that make London so special. I am so excited by the prospect of representing this place in Parliament.” He added: “For too long now it’s been held back by governments who have failed to make the changes to improve people’s lives.
“We know that the Greens can win here, and by electing me, voters will have someone who will always fight their corner – never scared of big donors or the party whip. Too often Labour has stood up for corporations and big money. I will stand up for people struggling to pay their bills.”
Mr Polanski has been the leader of the Green Party since September 2025. He has also been a member of the London Assembly since May 2021.
Sir Keir announced he would quit as an MP on Tuesday, as Parliament returned from its summer recess, despite having previously insisted he would stay on as a backbencher until the next general election. He said: “It has been a huge honour and privilege to represent the best constituency in the country and to have taken over from Frank Dobson, who was such a great constituency MP and a member of the last Labour government.
“I will now focus on other things and that will be international affairs including defence, security, trade and technology in a fast-changing world. I will also continue, as I have done for a long time now with others, work on combating violence against women and girls; that is an issue that matters to me hugely.
“It’s work I started before I became an MP and it’s work I’m keen to continue after I’m an MP. So international affairs on the one hand, and continuing my work on violence against women and girls on the other.”
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