Counting of votes from Thursday's by-election for Greater Manchester mayor begins today. The result is expected to be announced in the afternoon.
More than two million people were eligible to vote. The by-election was triggered by Andy Burnham's election to Parliament last month.
Candidates and Polling
Polling suggested Labour candidate Bev Craig, leader of Manchester City Council, was on course to win by a comfortable margin. Her main rivals are Reform UK's Sian Astley and the Green Party's Geraldine Coggins. Other candidates: Phil Eckersley (Conservatives), Richard Kilpatrick (Liberal Democrats), Marlon West (Restore Britain), and Marcus Farmer (Independent).
Andy Burnham voted at a polling station in Golborne near Wigan late on Thursday, less than an hour before polls closed.
Campaign Reactions
After voting, Labour deputy leader Lucy Powell said her party ran "a really positive campaign" and had been "on the front foot, setting out our stall, showing what Labour in power can do". She added: "Through our candidate Bev Craig and our new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, we have heard from many people who are giving Labour another look. Labour is offering hope. If the voters of Greater Manchester put their trust in Labour, we will all work tirelessly to put Bev's promises into action."
Green candidate Geraldine Coggins said her party had seen "former Labour voters move to the Greens in droves" and shown it could "challenge the larger parties". She said: "A new prime minister who is popular in this region meant that we were contesting this election in unusual circumstances. However, we found real discontent across Greater Manchester with how Labour have been running this place, and the people want a change of direction. This includes clear commitments on rent controls, affordable housing and to make sure people are put before profit."
Voting System and Costs
This is the first time a by-election has been necessary to fill a vacancy for one of England's combined authority mayors. The cost of the contest is expected to run into the millions, with the 2024 mayoral election costing taxpayers £4.7 million.
In 2024, Burnham was re-elected with 63% of the vote under the first-past-the-post system, winning the most votes in each of Greater Manchester's 10 local authority areas. For Thursday's by-election, voting reverted to the supplementary vote (SV) system used in 2017 and 2021. Under SV, if any candidate wins more than 50% of first-choice votes, they win outright. If not, all but the top two are eliminated and second-choice votes for the remaining candidates are added to their first-choice totals. The candidate with the highest combined total wins. In 2021, Burnham won in the first round with 67% of first preference votes.
