Sagal Abdi-Wali, a Muslim MP of Somali origin, was sworn in on Monday to Britain’s House of Commons holding a Quran, after winning the seat previously held by former Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Zia Yusuf, a senior figure in the Reform UK party, sharply criticized her Labour candidacy about a month ago: “The leading candidate that the Labour Party is trying to impose on the residents of Holborn, to replace former Prime Minister Keir Starmer in our Parliament, was born in Somalia. Do you understand what’s happening here?”
Despite the criticism of her candidacy, Abdi-Wali won last Thursday’s by-election in the Holborn and St Pancras constituency in London, securing 12,292 votes—about 45% of voters—and defeating Green Party leader Zack Polanski, who received 8,928 votes. Labour thus managed to hold the seat Starmer occupied until his resignation.
BREAKING: Labour’s Sagal Abdi-Wali has taken the oath of allegiance and been sworn in as an MP after winning last week’s by-election in Holborn and St Pancras.
https://t.co/G05u07kM0u
📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube https://t.co/lKb3gY0B6C
— Sky News (@SkyNews) October 12, 2026
Abdi-Wali, 43, came to Britain from Somalia as a refugee when she was seven. She later became involved in local politics, and this past May became the first Black woman to lead Camden Council in London. Now she’s also entering the British Parliament as the first member of the House of Commons born in Somalia who came to the UK as a refugee.
Footage of Abdi-Wali’s swearing-in holding the Quran drew criticism on social media, with some users seeing it as evidence of Islam’s growing influence in Britain. One user declared: “The caliphate is already a reality. The British have been conquered.”