Jump to contentIndependentSwipe for next articleIndependent Bulletin homepageDownload our appAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleDan HaygarthFriday 31 July 2026 23:31 BSTLabour Party candidate Bev Craig smiles after she was declared winner of the Greater Manchester mayoral by-election at the Co-Op Live Arena in Manchester (PA)Bev Craig has been elected Greater Manchester mayor, retaining the post for Labour in a by-election and succeeding Andy Burnham.The contest required a second round of counting after no candidate achieved over 50 per cent of first-preference votes, with Ms Craig ultimately winning with 309,525 total votes.More than two million people were eligible to vote in the by-election, triggered by Mr Burnham’s election as MP for Makerfield last month – a move positioning him for a potential Labour Party leadership bid. However, only one in four eligible voters cast a ballot – the lowest figure of the four Greater Manchester mayoral races to be held and the first to go to a second round.The results in full - first round: Bev Craig (Labour): 251,449 – 47.15%, Sian Astley (Reform): 111,928 – 20.99%, Geraldine Coggins (Green): 64,968 – 12.18%, Marlon West (Restore Britain): 46,289 – 8.68%, Phil Eckersley (Conservatives): 41,021 – 7.69%, Richard Kilpatrick (Lib Dems): 14,702 – 2.76%, Marcus Farmer (Independent): 2,969 – 0.56%.Second round results, after the distribution of the votes of the five eliminated candidates, was: Bev Craig (Lab): 309,525, Sian Astley (Reform): 157,178.In fullGreater Manchester mayoral election live: Labour wins huge victory as Burnham’s ‘protege’ Bev Craig takes up roleMore bulletinsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in