Polls have closed in the Greater Manchester mayoral by-election, triggered by Andy Burnham's election to Parliament last month. The contest is the largest by-election in British history, with more than two million people eligible to vote.
Labour's Bev Craig expected to win
Polling ahead of Thursday's vote suggested Labour candidate Bev Craig, currently the leader of Manchester City Council, was on course to win by a comfortable margin. Her main rivals are likely to be Reform UK's Sian Astley and the Green Party's Geraldine Coggins.
Other candidates on the ballot were Phil Eckersley (Conservatives), Richard Kilpatrick (Liberal Democrats), Marlon West (Restore Britain), and Marcus Farmer (Independent).
Burnham votes in Golborne
Andy Burnham himself voted at a polling station in Golborne, near Wigan, late on Thursday, less than an hour before polls closed. Labour deputy leader Lucy Powell said her party had run “a really positive campaign” and been “on the front foot, setting out our stall, showing what Labour in power can do”.
Powell 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.”
Counting and cost
Votes will be counted on Friday, with the winner expected to be announced in the afternoon. It 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 the taxpayer £4.7 million.
Voting system change
In the 2024 election, Burnham was re-elected with 63% of the vote under the “first past the post” system, winning the most votes in all 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 a candidate wins more than 50% of first-choice votes, they are declared the winner. If no candidate reaches that threshold, all but the top two are eliminated, and second-choice votes from eliminated candidates' ballots are added to the top two's totals. The candidate with the highest combined total wins.
In 2021, the last SV contest, Burnham won in the first round with 67% of first preference votes.
