Labour defeat Greens in crunch UK by-election

Labour has won the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, with the Greens coming in second.  Labour has held the seat continuously since its creation in 1983 and the contest is a two-horse race with the Green Party.

Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali, who secured 45% of the vote, said it is an "extraordinary honour" to represent the constituency. The Greens won a sensational parliamentary by-election victory near Manchester in February and made big gains at local polls in May, particularly in London.

But party leader Polanski's popularity has since taken a hit, polls show, following several missteps, including over an unpaid council tax bill and criticism he made of police officers.