Andy Burnham, widely expected to become the next Labour leader, returned to Greater Manchester to endorse Bev Craig as the party's candidate for mayor, joking he had experienced "a bit of a busy week" in Westminster. Speaking at Radcliffe football club, Burnham praised the foundations they had built together and called Bev an "incredible" candidate.
Burnham's Endorsement and Campaign Launch
Burnham, joined by Labour deputy leader Lucy Powell and Angela Rayner, addressed 200 party activists, including Coronation Street star Jennie McAlpine. He said: "We are here to celebrate the foundations we have laid together. One great team pulling together in one direction has brought in a new politics to Greater Manchester." He added: "The best decade is ahead of us."
Bev Craig, leader of Manchester City Council, acknowledged the challenge of succeeding Burnham, who won 63% of the vote in the 2024 mayoral election. She said: "When I took over from Sir Richard Leese, who'd run Manchester City Council for 25 years, I heard that every single day. But very soon, I learned that people judge the person in front of them, for what they're going to do for them."
Key Policy: Free Bus Travel for Young People
Craig's first major policy announcement, if elected, would be free bus travel for 11 to 18-year-olds across Greater Manchester. She said: "We have a bus network that's starting to go where people actually want to be able to travel. And I'll build on that, we'll do more routes, we'll do night buses, and obviously it will extend to free travel to all 11 to 18-year-olds."
She highlighted the region's economic progress: "Greater Manchester is in a position where we are genuinely able to talk about good growth. Redistributed growth, able to reach all of our communities." Craig emphasised that no one should feel left behind: "For generations, people in this place have been left behind. They've not felt that they've had the money, the power, the control that they need to live a good life. And we've started to turn the tide."
Electoral Challenge from Reform UK
Nigel Farage's Reform party won dozens of seats in local elections but was soundly beaten by Burnham in the Makerfield by-election. A recent poll put Labour on 33% and Reform on 30%. Craig acknowledged the challenge but remained optimistic: "Everyone loves politicians to comment on the polls, and I'm sure there'll be a lot of polls. I'm going to take a very Greater Manchester approach... It'll be a positive one."
She framed the election as a choice between building on change or risking it: "When people go to the ballot box, do they want to build on the seeds of change that we've started to sow, or do we want to risk throwing it all away?"
Burnham's Expected Labour Leadership
Burnham is widely expected to succeed Keir Starmer as Labour leader by July 17, with no other challengers stepping forward. Craig said: "I love a fight, because I've had to fight for everything that I've got in life. I think you have to be honest... The local elections were difficult for Labour across the country. People said that they wanted to see change faster." She added: "Over the last week, it does seem to me like Labour has listened."
