Bev Craig has been elected Mayor of Greater Manchester in the largest by-election in British history, a contest triggered by Andy Burnham's move to Downing Street. The Labour candidate's victory was announced late on Friday night, more than 24 hours after polls closed, with a comfortable margin but on a low turnout.
At a celebration in Manchester, Mr Burnham hailed Ms Craig as the "queen of the north" and urged her to push further than he did. "So, here's my challenge to you today. On the back of that, I'm afraid you're just going to have to go further and do more," he said.
Burnham sets out challenges
He called on her to continue the region's economic growth, deliver more affordable homes and expand technical education for young people, building on schemes such as the Greater Manchester Baccalaureate (MBacc). "You are the right person to lead this great city region forward into its best decade ever, because that is what the next decade is going to be," he said.
He then introduced her to the audience: "So, ladies and gentlemen, without any further ado, can you give it up for the queen of the north, the new Mayor of Greater Manchester, Bev Craig."
Craig responds
Ms Craig said voters had been "crying out" for a commitment from "people in power that get it" — those who "want to put more money in their pockets" and "make life easier". She said she was excited to get started.
She added that people had voted to build on Greater Manchester's shared legacy and to reject division: "They voted for Greater Manchester to build on the legacy that we've created together, but they voted to reject the division and the dividing lines that people put in our communities."
How the by-election was won
Ms Craig took 47.15% of first-round votes, short of the 50% needed for an outright win under the Supplementary Vote system. Reform UK's Sian Astley finished second on 20.99%, prompting a second round using second preferences from eliminated candidates. Labour gained 58,076 additional votes to Reform's 45,250, giving Ms Craig 309,525 votes to Ms Astley's 157,178.
The contest had more than two million eligible voters, but turnout was just under 25%. Mr Burnham had won the 2024 mayoral election with 63% of the vote under first-past-the-post.
Political backdrop
Mr Burnham became Prime Minister after winning the Makerfield by-election in June, but was barred from standing in the Gorton and Denton by-election in February because Labour's national executive committee did not want to risk the party's control of Greater Manchester. The May elections that led to Sir Keir Starmer's departure as prime minister saw losses in the region, including Tameside, where Labour lost its council majority after 47 years.
Analysis of the first round showed Ms Craig won the most votes in all 10 local authority areas making up Greater Manchester. Ms Astley was second in eight of those areas, while the Green Party's Geraldine Coggins came second in Manchester and the Conservative candidate Phil Eckersley finished second in Trafford.
