History was made in British politics. Somali-born Sagal Abdi-Wali was sworn in as the new MP for Holborn and St Pancras.
The 42-year-old is the first Somali-born lawmaker in British parliamentary history. She took the oath with the Quran on Monday, 12 October.
It was the final step of a fast, high-profile by-election held on 8 October. She took 45% of the vote, defeating Green Party leader Zack Polanski, who took 33%.
The seat became vacant after Keir Starmer resigned as MP in September, leaving the constituency he had held since 2015.
Starmer had held it for more than a decade. Before that, it was Frank Dobson from 1983. Two men, over 40 years.
When Starmer stepped down as both prime minister and MP, Labour needed a successor who could hold a symbolic heartland and show continuity. Abdi-Wali, a Camden leader who knew the streets, was their answer.
After her swearing-in, Abdi-Wali said she was “so excited to represent the people of Holborn and St Pancras,” calling it a “great day.”
For her, the moment closed a 30-year circle.
She was born in Somalia and came to Britain as a child refugee in the early 1990s as her family fled civil war. They settled in Camden. She stayed.
Her rise wasn’t Westminster but Camden: volunteer, trustee, school governor, council officer, then Camden Square councillor in 2022.
In May 2026, she became Leader of Camden Council – its first Black woman leader.
Camden is not a small borough. It holds the British Museum, the British Library, UCL, King’s Cross and St Pancras. Running it is running a small city.
Abdi-Wali’s victory goes beyond one seat.
For Britain’s Somali community, it is a milestone. From refugee child to council leader to Parliament. For many young Black Muslim women in London who have never seen themselves in that chamber, it is a first.
She framed her win as a defeat for “those who seek to divide us.” She promised to prioritise housing, infrastructure and opportunities for young people, vowing to put communities “at the heart of everything” she does.
For Abdi-Wali, it’s a hard and historic journey – from refugee from Somalia to representing a seat that once belonged to a British prime minister.
