Bev Craig Elected Greater Manchester Mayor After Defeating Reform UK
Labour's Bev Craig has won the Greater Manchester mayoral by-election, succeeding Andy Burnham following a contest marked by a historically low voter turnout.
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Bev Craig has been elected as the new Mayor of Greater Manchester, retaining the position for Labour after defeating Reform UK in a by-election marked by a historically low turnout. She succeeds Andy Burnham, who recently vacated the regional role to become Prime Minister.
The election went to a second round of voting under the Supplementary Vote system after Ms Craig secured 47.15 per cent in the first round, falling just short of the required 50 per cent threshold for an outright win.
Second-round victory and low turnout
In the run-off, Ms Craig defeated Reform UK candidate Sian Astley. The final tally gave the Labour candidate 309,525 first and second preference votes, compared to 157,178 for Ms Astley.
Only around one in four of the region's two million eligible voters participated. This turnout of approximately 25 per cent is the lowest recorded for a Greater Manchester mayoral election, dropping below the 28.9 per cent seen during the inaugural race in 2017.
Expanded mayoral powers
The Belfast-born politician, who has served as the leader of Manchester City Council since 2021, delivered her victory speech at the Co-op Live arena. She pledged to advocate fiercely for the city region and work towards improving the quality of life for all residents.
Ms Craig will assume the mayoralty with expanded financial authority. On the day of the election result, Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced that English mayors will be permitted to retain a portion of the taxes collected within their jurisdictions, including income tax and business rates, to stimulate regional economic growth.
Speaking to The Independent following her win, Ms Craig welcomed the devolution of powers, highlighting that the ability to control funding for skills and youth support will make a significant difference across Greater Manchester.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Who won the Greater Manchester mayoral by-election?
- Labour's Bev Craig won the election, defeating Reform UK's Sian Astley in the second round of voting to become the new Mayor of Greater Manchester.
- Why was there a mayoral by-election in Greater Manchester?
- The by-election was triggered after former Mayor Andy Burnham stepped down from the regional leadership role to become Prime Minister.
- What was the voter turnout for the election?
- Turnout was historically low, with only about 25 per cent of the region's two million eligible voters casting a ballot, making it the lowest turnout since the role was created.