Bev Craig has been declared the winner of the Greater Manchester mayoral by-election after a marathon day of counting that concluded late on Friday night. She will succeed Andy Burnham, who left the role after winning the Makerfield seat and becoming leader of the Labour Party last month.
Thousands of residents across all ten boroughs went to the polls on Thursday, July 30, with polling stations open from 7am to 10pm. Turnout was approximately 25%, and the result was announced at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester at around 11pm, despite verification beginning earlier in the morning.
Seven candidates stood in the election: Sian Niamh Astley (Reform UK), Geraldine Coggins (Green Party), Bev Craig (Labour), Phil Eckersley (Conservative Party), Marcus Jonathan Farmer (independent), Richard Kilpatrick (Liberal Democrats) and Marlon West (Restore Britain).
Why the count took so long
The delay was due to the supplementary voting system, which was used again after being set aside in 2024 in favour of first past the post. The system had previously been used for the mayoral elections in 2017 and 2021.
Supplementary voting asks residents to pick a first and second choice. If a candidate receives more than 50% of the valid first-choice votes, they are elected outright. If not, the two candidates with the most votes go to a second round.
That is what happened, with a second count needed between Labour's Bev Craig and Reform UK's Sian Astley.
The numbers in full
In the first round, Craig took 47% of the vote – 251,449 votes – just under the 50% threshold. After second-choice votes were redistributed, her total rose to 309,525 votes, representing 66% of the vote.
Astley, the runner-up, took 21% of the total in the first round with 111,928 votes. Following the second count, she finished on 157,178 votes, which was 34% of the total.
