Labour has published its candidate selection timetable for the Greater Manchester mayoral election, which is due to be held on July 30. In a statement, the party said the election 'is set to be a two-horse race between Labour and Reform'.
Applications opened at 5pm today - Friday - and will close at 5pm on Sunday. Long and short lists will then be drawn up by the party's National Executive Committee and the Regional Executive, ahead of voting starting next Tuesday. Voting will close a week today - June 26 - with the result then announced.
It comes after Labour's Andy Burnham secured the Makerfield by-election with a huge majority, paving the way for a battle for the leadership of the party. The Manchester Evening News, meanwhile, has assessed who could be the next mayor of Greater Manchester now Mr Burnham is an MP.
The new Labour MP polled 54 per cent of the total vote, receiving 24,927 votes. Reform's candidate, Rob Kenyon, came next with 15,696 - 34 per cent of vote share. Restore's Rebecca Shepherd, in third place, won 3,111 votes, a share of six per cent.
Rules state that a mayor of a Strategic Authority who also has Police and Crime Commissioner functions - as Mr Burnham did - is disqualified from being commissioner upon being elected as a member of the House of Commons. It means his election as an MP disqualifies him from being mayor.
A Labour source said: “Labour in power in Greater Manchester has seen real improvements for people’s everyday lives. From buses back in public control with capped fares, to thousands more homes and additional infrastructure built – all of this progress could be put at risk with Reform. The Greens can’t win this race. It's time to pass the torch from Andy Burnham, who has delivered for the area, to the next transformational Labour Mayor.”
The Green Party, meanwhile, will announce its candidate for the Greater Manchester mayoral election on Saturday, the Manchester Evening News understands. A candidate has already been selected. Writing on X, the party said: "We're hitting the ground running in Greater Manchester. No standing down. Stay tuned for our candidate announcement over the weekend." Other major parties are also expected to field candidates.
Official notice of a vacancy in the office of the Mayor for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority area was given today in the aftermath of the by-election. The Combined Authority Returning Officer has determined that a Mayoral Election will be held on Thursday 30 July 2026. The deadline to register to vote is midnight on Tuesday 14 July.
