Bev Craig celebrated her election as Greater Manchester mayor alongside Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Labour activists in Manchester city centre, telling the crowd: "I'm excited to get to work on Monday."
Mr Burnham, who joked that he could not believe there would be a mayor who does more on buses than he did, set Ms Craig the challenge of bettering the 3 per cent growth the region saw over his decade in office. "On the back of that, I'm afraid you're just going to have to go further and do more," he said. "You are the right person to lead this great city region forward into its best decade ever."
The victory rally was held at Circle Square following a long night of counting at Co-op Live on Friday (July 31). Ms Craig, the former Manchester council leader, succeeds Mr Burnham after he stepped aside to stand in the Makerfield Parliamentary election and become Prime Minister. The by-election was the biggest ever held in the UK.
Election result: 66.3% of second-round vote
The election used the supplementary vote system, with voters able to choose a first and second preference. Turnout was 25.14%, the lowest ever recorded for the mayoral role.
No candidate reached 50 per cent in the first round, eliminating five candidates. Ms Craig was taken to a second round alongside Reform UK's Sian Astley at around 7pm. After counting finished shortly after 11pm, Ms Craig was declared the winner with 309,525 votes (66.3 per cent), while Ms Astley received 157,178 (33.7 per cent).
Ms Craig's Burnage ward seat, along with the town hall leadership, is now up for grabs.
Speech: 'It doesn't matter if you voted for me or not'
Addressing Labour activists, Ms Craig recalled arriving in Manchester at 18 with "nothing, no friends, no job, no money in my pocket, in search of opportunities". She said people had been "crying out" for people in power who "get it" and want to put more money in their pockets and make life easier.
"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," she said. "It doesn't matter if you voted for me or not, I'm your mayor. And I'm here to deliver a better Greater Manchester for all of us."
She added: "So the job starts now, I'm off to work to start planning. Come Monday morning, I'll be at that desk, rising to the challenge, with even more power."
Burnham: 'Go further and do more'
Earlier on Saturday, Mr Burnham posted on social media: "I couldn't be happier to see Bev Craig elected as the next mayor of Greater Manchester. We've worked together for many years and I've seen first-hand her intelligence, compassion and determination."
At the rally, he praised the region's "Manchesterism" approach, which he said meant taking control of things that affect daily life, including housing and buses. "I can't believe we're going to have a mayor in Greater Manchester that's going to do more on buses than I did," he joked.
He set Ms Craig the challenge of going further than the 3 per cent growth recorded over 10 years, mentioning more affordable homes, technical education, life chances for children and bringing rail into the Bee Network. He also noted that he had announced the biggest transfer of power out of Whitehall the previous day in Sheffield.
First priorities and a weekend curry
Asked about her first priority, Ms Craig told the Manchester Evening News she would make her first announcement on Monday and planned to go into the office first thing to set out plans with Combined Authority staff.
On her weekend, she said: "I've got to nip into the office for a couple of hours. I've got a lot of work to do today. I might treat myself to a day off tomorrow. I've got the father-in-law's birthday curry to look forward to."
Her message to residents: "I'll be the mayor for everyone in Greater Manchester. I'll always put Greater Manchester first and I'll focus on delivering something that makes a difference to everyone's lives."
