Who Is Sagal Abdi, the Somali Woman Who Won the Former UK Prime Minister’s Parliamentary Seat?

Friday, 9 October 2026 {HMC} Sagal Abdi Wali is the first Somali to be elected as a Member of the House of Commons in the British Parliament. She first arrived in the United Kingdom in the early 1990s as a refugee child after her family fled the civil war in Somalia.

Sagal, 42, was first elected as a councillor in Camden in 2022. In May this year, she made history by becoming the first Black woman to lead Camden Council.

She has previously spoken about her experience as a refugee. In 2019, she told the media:

“Camden has been my home since my family and I moved here when I was a refugee child, fleeing the war in Somalia.”

“This is the community where I grew up and received my education. Today, I work for the council and also volunteer with local community organisations and charities,” she said.

“It is a community known for its solidarity, progress and inclusiveness,” she added, explaining that these values had shaped who she is today and the principles she believes in.

In 2022, she was first elected as a Labour Party councillor representing Camden Square ward.

Before being elected council leader, she served as a member of the council’s executive responsible for housing development. In that role, she oversaw housing matters and neighbourhood development across Camden.