Sagal Abdi Wali has made history after winning the Holborn and St Pancras by election, becoming the first Black woman to represent the constituency.

The 42 year old Labour politician takes over the seat vacated by former Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who represented the north London constituency from 2015 until his resignation earlier this year.

Born in Somalia, Abdi Wali arrived in the UK as a child refugee during the 1990s and grew up in Camden. She entered local politics in 2022, when she became a councillor, before being elected leader of Camden Council in May.

Addressing supporters at the Camden office in the early hours of the morning, she described her election as an “extraordinary honour” and spoke about the personal significance of the moment.

“This is Camden, and this is Britain,” she said.

Abdi Wali also expressed hope that her achievement would help people who share her background see themselves represented in British politics.

Labour has held Holborn and St Pancras since the constituency was created in 1983. Frank Dobson represented the seat for more than three decades, from 1983 until 2015, before Starmer became its MP.

Her victory marks a historic moment for representation in Parliament and brings her journey from arriving in Britain as a child refugee to becoming an elected representative on the national stage.

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