What do Holborn and St Pancras voters want from their new MP?

Voters in Holborn and St Pancras are being courted by rival political parties ahead of a by-election that will be seen as an early test for Sir Keir Starmer's successor, Prime Minister Andy Burnham.

The contest was triggered when Sir Keir, who had held the inner-London seat since 2015, resigned as an MP at the start of September in what he said was a move to focus on international affairs.

For some residents of the constituency, the priorities are close to home.

Near King's Cross, Gaven Duffy, who has lived in the constituency for 28 years, told the BBC's Politics London programme he wants his next MP to focus on affordable housing.

"Even to buy somewhere around here, it's way, way out of my price range," he said, adding that he considers himself lucky to have social housing when "others are not so lucky".

At the Cowthorne Community Garden where he works, others raised concerns about poorly lit communal areas ahead of winter, and called for a "real crackdown" on homelessness.

The Holborn and St Pancras constituency encompasses the leafy streets of Highgate and Primrose Hill down to the bustling commercial hubs of Camden Town and Covent Garden.

Alongside its large student population tied to the University of London and prominent teaching hospitals are areas of acute deprivation in places like Kentish Town alongside pockets of considerable wealth.

On Camden High Street, locals shared a mix of concerns.

One man said: "In this area, I would like to see more police actually. Yeah, and more enforcement of laws."

Another resident warned that rising tax rates risk pushing increasingly mobile, remote-working professionals and businesses out of the area.

Upgrading the local high street "more presentable" was a priority for a third man.

Labour has held Holborn and St Pancras at every election since it was created in 1983, with a majority of over 11,000 votes at the 2024 general election.

The Green Party hopes to advance its momentum from May's local elections, when they came second to Labour across the seat's council wards.

Sagal Abdi-Wali, Labour's Camden Council leader, and Green Party leader Zack Polanski have emerged as the first two confirmed candidates.

The by-election on 8 October is expected to be contested by all of the major parties.

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