Andy Burnham has said he "couldn't be happier" to see Bev Craig elected as his successor, after she retained the Greater Manchester mayoralty for Labour. The new Prime Minister had to stand down from the role when he won the Makerfield by-election in June, as the mayor cannot be a serving MP at the same time.
Craig's victory was confirmed late on July 31 after two rounds of vote counting across the city-region. She took a large majority of the first-round vote, but fell just short of the 50 per cent threshold needed to win outright.
Burnham backs successor
In a message posted on X on Saturday morning, Mr Burnham said: "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. I know she’ll bring people together and stand up for every part of our city-region."
He added: "Being mayor of Greater Manchester was everything to me. I’ll forever be grateful for the privilege and I can’t think of anyone better to take Greater Manchester forward."
Victory at Co-op Live
After a long day and night of counting, Craig was unable to hide her delight as the result was announced at Co-op Live, where Labour supporters cheered her election.
In her acceptance speech, she said: "To have trust placed in you is an honour. I'm honoured. I'm humbled. And I stand ready to serve the 3 million people that live across this fantastic city region. And I will serve every single one of them, every single day."
Reform UK challenge
The contest went to a second round after Craig failed to pass 50 per cent in the first count. With second-preference votes redistributed, she defeated Reform UK's Sian Astley, collecting 66 per cent of the vote.
Council seat by-election
Craig served as a councillor for Burnage for 15 years and became Manchester council leader in December 2021. A by-election for her council seat will now be held, because the mayor cannot be a serving councillor at the same time.
