00:00For people who look like me, I hope they see themselves reflected in this place and know that their path
00:06too belongs here.
00:08This is Camden and this is Britain.
00:15For all people, but especially for young people, I want this to demonstrate that you do not have to surrender
00:22your hope to succeed.
00:24You can lead with optimism, with kindness and with conviction.
00:29I want young people to know that their background does not determine the size of their dreams and that public
00:33life is a place for them to make a difference.
00:36I came here as a child and this place gave me so much.
00:39A home, education, friendships, a community, an opportunity and it made me who I am.
00:44I've spent so much of my life trying to give back through community work and public service and now to
00:49represent Camden in Parliament is perhaps the greatest way I can continue that journey.
00:53I will never forget where I came from and I will always relentlessly fight to be a voice for this
00:59place.
01:00Sehgal Abdiwali succeeds Sir Keir Starmer who resigned from the seat in September after stepping down as Prime Minister.
01:08Her comments came after Reform UK's Home Affairs spokesperson, Zia Youssef, attacked her candidacy as a British Somalian when she
01:17was elected to fight the by-election.
01:19I want to take this opportunity to thank my parents who taught me from a young age the importance of
01:24working hard, standing for your principles and always giving something back to the community that has given you so much.
01:31And thank you to everyone who's worked so hard to make this campaign possible.
01:34To the people who came from across the Labour movement, given their time, energy and commitment.
01:39And to the many people in Camden who have never campaigned before but chose to be part of something hopeful.
01:45You've shown what is possible when people come together in a common cause.
01:49I want to take a moment to recognise and thank the brilliant MPs who represented Hoban and St Pancras previously
01:55before this moment.
01:57The late, great Frank Dobson who served this community with immense dedication and conviction.
02:04And Keir Starmer, who built on that legacy, representing this constituency for more than a decade and leading our party
02:12from opposition to government.
02:14I am deeply grateful for their service that they've given to this community and for the foundations that they've left
02:20for the next generation.
02:21To now have the privileges taken on that mantle and to do so as the first woman to represent Hoban
02:26and St Pancras is an extraordinary honour.
02:30I sincerely thank Keir and the Dobson family, Joe, Tom and Jeanette for their support for me.
02:36It is with pride and humility that I hope I can build on their legacy and I will do everything
02:40I can to serve this constituency with the same purpose and dedication.
02:45Since I was a child, I've watched people across Camden work to build communities where difference is not something to
02:51fear, but something to value.
02:53We cannot allow that work built over generations to be casually undone by those who seek to divide us.
