Polls opened on Thursday for the Greater Manchester mayoral by-election, the biggest in UK history, with more than two million people eligible to vote. The contest was triggered by Andy Burnham's resignation after he became Labour MP for Makerfield in June and succeeded Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister this month.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer urged voters to back Labour candidate Bev Craig, saying she would ensure "every town, every borough" shares in the region's success.
Seven candidates
Seven candidates are standing: Bev Craig (Labour), Phil Eckersley (Conservatives), Geraldine Coggins (Green Party), Sian Astley (Reform UK), Richard Kilpatrick (Liberal Democrats), Marlon West (Restore Britain) and Marcus Farmer (Independent). Residents of Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan will vote.
Mr Burnham came first in all 10 areas in 2017, 2021 and 2024. Before polling day, he said serving as mayor for nearly a decade was an "immense privilege". He added: "After years working alongside Bev Craig, I have no doubt that she will work every single day to build on the progress we've all made together."
Ms Craig is leader of Manchester City Council. Ms Astley and Mr Kilpatrick also sit on the authority. Mr Eckersley and Ms Coggins are Trafford councillors.
Campaign pledges
Ms Coggins said Greater Manchester needs "full fat devolution, not semi skimmed", adding: "Labour in Greater Manchester has been a developers' paradise, handing over large sums of money to developers to build unaffordable flats." Green Party leader Zack Polanski said his party could "pull off a shock" and top the poll.
Mr Eckersley said "as a business owner, father and local councillor, I understand the challenges facing families, businesses and communities across our city region." Reform UK leader Nigel Farage backed Ms Astley, saying she would "bring life back to high streets, stop illegal migrants being dumped on towns and open the books so ordinary people can finally see how their tax money has been spent."
Marlon West works as a mental health nurse but received an 18-month suspension from the Nursing and Midwifery Council earlier this month for social media comments about sexual grooming by Pakistani men. Restore Britain's leader Rupert Lowe said Mr West "is the best qualified candidate for any mayoral race for a very long time," adding: "He has lost so much in his fight, including just being struck off nursing because he spoke out about his daughter's rape." Mr West co-wrote a book with his daughter Scarlett about rape and sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of Asian men.
Marcus Farmer stood against Mr Burnham in 2021, receiving just under 1% of the vote, and also stood in 2017.
Voting and results
Polls opened at 7am and close at 10pm on Thursday. Votes will not be counted until Friday, with the result likely announced in the afternoon. It is the first by-election to fill a vacancy for one of England's combined authority mayors. The cost is expected to run into the millions; the 2024 mayoral election cost taxpayers £4.7 million.
In 2024, Mr Burnham won 420,749 of 663,631 valid votes (63%) across the 10 authorities. The Conservatives came second with 10%, an independent third with 50,304 (8%), Reform UK fourth with 49,532 (7%), Greens fifth with 45,905 (7%), and Liberal Democrats sixth with 28,195 (4%).
The 2024 election used first-past-the-post, but this week's by-election uses the supplementary vote (SV) system, which was used in 2017 and 2021. Under SV, voters select a first and second choice. If any candidate wins more than 50% of first-choice votes, they win. 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 overall total wins.
