Prime Minister Keir Starmer personally approached Bev Craig, the leader of Manchester City Council, to stand as Labour's candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election, offering a junior ministerial role if she entered Parliament. According to sources familiar with the discussions, Starmer was "persistent" and "very keen" to get Craig on board after Andy Burnham was blocked from standing by Labour's National Executive Committee.
The approach reflected growing concern at the top of Labour about the by-election, triggered by the downfall of former health minister Andrew Gwynne. The vacancy created an opening for Burnham, Greater Manchester's mayor and one of the party's most popular figures, to return to the Commons. While local members were enthused, national leadership was less enthusiastic.
Craig considered the proposal but declined. Labour sources told the Manchester Evening News that she was reluctant to be drawn into "national Labour's dirty work over Burnham." Instead, the 41-year-old chose to remain in Manchester, turning down a career path many ambitious Labour politicians would have envied.
Fallout from Blocking Burnham
The decision to block Burnham proved disastrous for Labour. Deputy party leader Lucy Powell later said Burnham "probably would have" won Gorton and Denton, adding that "the Greens wouldn't have gone after the seat in the same way." Instead, Labour selected Angeliki Stogia, a Whalley Range councillor with a low profile. In February, the seat was won by Green Party candidate Hannah Spencer, with Stogia finishing third behind Reform's Matt Goodwin.
Burnham told BBC Radio Manchester in March: "I made my move in Gorton & Denton and I got blocked. I accept that. I am committed to what I am doing." However, he later said the result "revealed the full depth of the chasm between people and Westminster politics." After Labour lost nearly 1,500 seats in the May local elections, Burnham made another move, persuading Josh Simons to step down in Makerfield, securing a return to Parliament.
Craig's Rise and Ambitions
Craig's political story is unusual. At 18, she arrived in Manchester from Greenisland, Northern Ireland, with little money or connections. After graduating, she joined Labour through Unison while working in local government. She was first elected as a councillor for Burnage in 2011 and later became Manchester council's first female and first openly gay leader.
Friends and allies describe Craig as ambitious but focused on place. She sees devolution as a political project in its own right, not a stepping stone. She has argued that Greater Manchester should not go to Whitehall "cap in hand" but demand powers to drive growth. In a previous interview, she said: "Invest in trains and business will bring more money into the UK's economy. Invest in basic infrastructure... and you're adding into the tax bucket."
Differences from Burnham
While Craig shares similarities with Burnham—both built careers around Greater Manchester's autonomy and railed against over-centralisation—their styles differ. Burnham is intuitively populist; Craig is more technocratic and managerial. Critics question whether she possesses Burnham's charisma. In an exclusive interview with the MEN last month, Craig stated: "I'm not going to be that politician that pleads with you to think I'm fun."
Craig has also been comfortable describing herself ideologically, once telling the paper: "I'm unafraid to say that I'm a socialist, but I'm also a modern one."
Future in Greater Manchester
In June, Craig became Labour's candidate to succeed Burnham as mayor of Greater Manchester in the by-election on July 30. A source close to her told the MEN that Craig "has no intention of standing for parliament in 2029, being the Greater Manchester mayor is everything for her."
