Bev Craig Becomes First Female Mayor of Greater Manchester

Labor candidate Bev Craig has been elected as the mayor of Greater Manchester, becoming the first woman to hold the office. The by-election was triggered after Andy Burnham resigned to become the Prime Minister and Member of Parliament for Makerfield. The contest was the largest by-election in British political history, involving over 2.1 million eligible voters.

Because no candidate secured more than 50% of the first-preference votes, officials utilized a supplementary voting system to count second-preference votes from eliminated candidates. Following this process, Craig won with 66.3% of the vote, defeating Reform UK candidate Sian Astley. Other candidates in the race included Geraldine Coggins of the Green Party, Marlon Scott West of Restore Britain, Richard Martin Kilpatrick of the Liberal Democrats, Phil Eckersley of the Conservative Party, and independent Marcus Jonathan Farmer.

Turnout for the election was a record low of approximately 25%. Craig, the former leader of Manchester City Council, campaigned on freezing Metrolink fares and improving affordable housing. Following her victory, she vowed to move away from divisive politics and work for all residents of the city region.