'It could be close': candidates make final appeals as Greater Manchester goes to the polls

Polls have opened across Greater Manchester's 10 boroughs as more than two million residents choose who will succeed Andy Burnham as mayor.

Seven candidates are on the ballot in the UK's first-ever mayoral by-election. Polls are open from 7am to 10pm. The winner will oversee transport, policing, housing and a multi-billion-pound budget.

Here is what the candidates said as voting began.

Bev Craig (Labour)

Craig said she was "proud to call Greater Manchester home" and warned: "With such a big by-election, all indications are that it could be close. That's why it's more important than ever that you get out and vote."

She pledged to "put more money in people's pockets" and "go further to ensure that every borough in our region shares in Greater Manchester's success." She added: "I promise I will not let you down."

Sian Astley (Reform UK)

Astley posted photos of herself door-knocking in Baguley and said: "I see so much that needs sorting out at such a fundamental level and I don't think politicians who are already entrenched in the system can expose, reveal or dismantle what they or their colleagues or their associates had a hand in creating in the first place."

She added: "I've done my best to get elected as mayor so that I can try and fix the stuff that needs fixing."

Phil Eckersley (Conservative)

Eckersley said in a Facebook video: "This isn't just another election, it's the biggest by-election in British history. Your mayor controls billions of pounds of investment, our transport system and is in charge of the police."

He promised "safer streets, affordable homes and brownfield first, a freeze in the mayor's tax and a fair deal for every borough."

Richard Kilpatrick (Liberal Democrats)

Kilpatrick filmed his message walking along the Mersey at Fletcher Moss. "When I speak to people in this election, it's really clear to me that affordability is the number one priority," he said, pledging to tackle childcare costs, deliver affordable homes through cooperatives and get a grip on spiralling social care costs.

Geraldine Coggins (Green Party)

Coggins focused her final message on AI development, saying: "I will not allow our water-deprived peat moors or people's drinking water to be threatened by AI's rapacious drive for profits. This is what I mean by my campaign pledge to take back Greater Manchester from Big Money."

Marlon West (Restore Britain)

Restore leader Rupert Lowe issued a message on West's behalf, saying: "So many decent patriotic communities have been left to rot. Marlon West is the man to reverse that." He urged voters to use their first preference on Restore as a "free hit" and keep their second preference as a backup.

Marcus Farmer (Independent)

Farmer said he was "a lone voice at this election" offering "a life support solution by holding the city together from a non-political standpoint." He said his vote count would be "merely a stake in the ground and a starting point from where to grow."