Former Holborn and St Pancras parliamentary candidate says “it’s a nonsense” to claim Greens suffered ‘crushing defeat’ in by-election

Andrew Feinstein, who stood as an Independent candidate against Keir Starmer in the 2024 general election, has branded claims that the Greens suffered “a crushing defeat” in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election “a nonsense” and “factually incorrect”. 

Labour’s Sagal Abdi-Wali won the seat with 12,292 votes, while Green Party leader Zack Polanski came in second with 8,928.

Feinstein opted not to stand as a candidate in yesterday’s by-election, but his campaign group, Camden People’s Alliance, endorsed Polanski as the left-wing candidate.

Feinstein, who came second after Starmer in the last general election, told Left Foot Forward it is “a nonsense frankly, myopic and factually incorrect” to say that the Greens suffered a bruising loss yesterday.

“This is a constituency that was once a safe Labour seat, and is quite competitive now,” he said.

The founder of the Camden People’s Alliance said the result shows “a further erosion of Labour’s support”, adding: “I can say quite confidently that a Green Independent Left Alliance would probably stand a good chance of winning the seat at the next election.”

Feinstein described the Camden People’s Alliance and the Greens as a “unified left” in Camden, stating “We operate together in this constituency.”

He said he is “certain” that the same electoral pact between the Greens and the CPA will be in place at the next election.

He said that “with the Burnham bounce, the timing of the election has benefitted Labour”. However, he said that if Burnham’s change in rhetoric isn’t matched with action, people will notice.

“My feeling is the Burnham government is not going to do anything fundamentally different,” he said.

“The rhetoric may be different for purposes of a by-election, but if in practice absolutely nothing changes on the ground, they will notice,” he warned.

Feinstein ran against Starmer in the 2024 election in part due to the former Labour prime minister’s “complicity” in the genocide in Gaza.

Feinstein also criticised Burnham’s policy on Gaza, saying banning the import of goods from illegal Israeli settlements will not have a significant impact.

He pointed out that the number of goods that come to Britain from illegal Israeli settlements are estimated to account for less than 1% of UK-Israel trade, and that “nothing Ed Miliband has said will lead to change on the ground in Gaza”.

Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward