Sagal Abdi-Wali is favourite to beat Zack Polanski. Does her track record stack up?

In theory, there could be few better candidates for a London constituency than Sagal Abdi-Wali. The newly minted boss of Camden council also spent two years as cabinet member for housing, a time in which she told the Londoner “we’ve changed the culture of the council”.

But some of her former colleagues aren’t so sure. “I’ve never heard a bigger load of bollocks in all my life,” scoffed one former Camden official who’s worked extensively with Abdi-Wali, when we put this claim to them.

On Thursday, the 42 year-old Somali refugee is hoping to see off a scandal-hit Zack Polanski to become Holborn and St Pancras’ new MP. Bookies put her as almost nailed on to succeed. Since she looks to be on the brink of victory, we wanted to get to know Labour’s candidate for Holborn and St Pancras — to understand more about who she was beyond the somewhat timid PR drive seeking to propel her into parliament.

We found those keen to praise her sunny personality and commitment to her area. But over days of reporting, and in conversations with over half a dozen current and former colleagues, we also found many people questioning her track record — both at Camden council and in her widely vaunted image as a local charity worker.