Camden Council has selected its third leader in the space of a year after its current chief became an MP.
Sagal Abdi-Wali won the by-election earlier this month to become MP for Holborn and St Pancras. It was triggered after former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer stood down from Parliament.
Councillor James Slater has secured the support of a majority of Camden Labour councillors to replace Ms Abdi-Wali as leader of the local party group.
He will take over in November when Ms Abdi-Wali formally relinquishes the post.
Mr Slater said it was a "huge honour" to have been chosen to leader the north London local authority.
“I moved to this borough a decade ago and fell in love with Camden’s creativity, diversity and opportunity,” he said.
“I’ve seen it first-hand while living in all corners of our borough, and serving our diverse communities as a school and NHS governor, trustee, volunteer and now as a councillor.
“My mission is simple: I want every resident, in every part of Camden, to share in the borough’s success. That means working tirelessly to improve opportunities for young people, tackling the housing crisis, and transforming our public services.
Sagal Abdi-Wali was sworn in as an MP last week
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The 28-year-old has held the planning and regeneration brief in the council cabinet since May 2026. He was first elected as a councillor for Kentish Town North in 2022.
During his four years on the council, he also chaired the audit committee and served as a policy adviser to the cabinet.
Beyond the town hall, he has spent the last five years working in Parliament for three Labour MPs.
Mr Slater is currently employed as head of office for Catherine McKinnell, the MP for Newcastle North and prisons minister. It is understood he will leave this job upon becoming leader.
Ms Abdi-Wali will continue leading the borough until November 16, when the full council will vote on her successor. With 30 seats on the council, Labour’s majority all but guarantees Mr Slater’s election as leader.
Camden’s current leader was sworn in as MP for Holborn and St Pancras last week following her by-election victory in which she faced down a Green Party challenge.
The high-profile contest saw Ms Abdi-Wali beat Green leader Zack Polanski by a 12-point margin to retain the seat for Labour.
Following her by-election to the House of Commons, Ms Abdi-Wali said what she “saw and learned” as leader, as well as a councillor, was one of the reasons she stood as an MP.
Since becoming an MP, she has continued as a councillor for Camden Square ward but has said she would not be taking a councillor’s allowance. The basic annual salary for MPs is £98,599.