Bangla Mirror Desk:

 

New MP pledges to tackle homelessness, champion affordable housing and improve opportunities for young people in Camden.

Sagal Abdi-Wali has won the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, making history as the first British Somali woman to become a Member of Parliament.

The 42-year-old, who arrived in the UK as a child refugee from Somalia with her family in the 1990s, has strong roots in Camden, where she grew up and built her career in public service. Before entering Parliament, she worked as a housing officer for Camden Council and was elected as a councillor in 2022. She became leader of the local authority in May.

Following her election victory on Thursday the 8th of October, Abdi-Wali pledged to make improving people’s lives her central mission, identifying housing and homelessness as her most urgent priorities.

“Homelessness is the thing that drove me into politics,” she said.

In her first  interview since being elected, the new MP highlighted the scale of the housing crisis facing Camden, London and the wider country.

“Housing is a major crisis in Camden, across London, across the country. And so it’s the thing I will work on every single day to make sure we’re improving for people,” she said.

Abdi-Wali stressed that building more social and affordable homes, alongside other types of housing, would be essential to addressing the crisis.

“The only way we get out of the housing crisis is to build more social, affordable homes and also every other type of tenure,” she said, adding that she was encouraged by the government’s commitment to the issue.

Before becoming council leader, Abdi-Wali served as Camden Council’s cabinet member for better homes. In that role, she helped drive efforts to ensure residents had access to safe, warm and well-maintained housing and oversaw a £670 million programme to improve the council’s social housing stock.

Her commitment to the community extends beyond housing. For more than a decade, she has volunteered and served as a trustee for local charities, including working as a school governor at two schools. She has also identified better opportunities for young people as another key priority.

Speaking at the election count, Abdi-Wali reflected on the community that shaped her values and political ambitions.

“My commitment to this community runs deep. I will work every day to do whatever I can, and all I can, to improve the life of you and your family,” she said.

“Camden gave me a community and instilled in me a belief in social justice, in equality and fairness.”

She described representing the same community in Parliament as a privilege she would carry with pride and humility.

Abdi-Wali also highlighted the wider significance of her historic election, expressing hope that her achievement would encourage others from underrepresented backgrounds to feel that they belong in public life.

“I hope this moment also says something about who gets to belong. For people who look like me, I hope they see themselves reflected in this place, and know that their path too, belongs here,” she said.

At a victory rally alongside Labour Party deputy leader Lucy Powell, Abdi-Wali returned to the issue that first inspired her to enter politics, promising that people experiencing homelessness would not be forgotten.

She has also voiced support for bringing Thames Water back into public ownership, reflecting her wider interest in public services and the role they play in people’s everyday lives.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham congratulated Abdi-Wali on what he described as a “fantastic campaign” and said he looked forward to working with her. Former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer also welcomed the result, describing her as a “brilliant champion for our communities” and expressing confidence that she would be a fantastic MP.

For Camden residents, Abdi-Wali’s election marks a new chapter in the area’s political representation. Her experience of growing up in the community, working in local government and tackling housing challenges now forms the foundation of her parliamentary priorities.

With housing affordability, homelessness and opportunities for young people high on her agenda, the new MP has pledged to work every day to improve the lives of families and residents across the constituency.