After a long wait, due to the secondary votes being counted, the results of the Greater Manchester mayoral elections have been revealed. Councillor Bev Craig of the Labour Party was elected this evening, replacing the now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham as regional mayor.
Under new rules for this by-election, if no one receives more than 50%, the top two candidates go into a head-to-head, in which second preference votes from the eliminated candidates are counted. With no candidate securing a clear victory in the first round, second-preference votes were counted and then added, which saw Craig beat Reform UK’s Sian Astley by 309,525 to 157,178.
The total number of verified ballot papers was 538,659. This represents a turnout of 25.14%.
The by-election for a new mayor of Greater Manchester was called after Andy Burnham was elected as MP for Makerfield in June, which led him to become Prime Minister earlier this month.
Bev Craig has led Manchester City Council since 2021 and is also the Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s deputy mayor for economy, business and inclusive growth. This win also means that Craig will be Greater Manchester’s first female metro mayor.
In her winning speech, Bev Craig said: “The special thank you has to go to the residents of Greater Manchester. To have trust placed in you. I’m honoured, I’m humbled, and I stand ready to serve.”
Greater Manchester 2026 mayoral election results
Round 2
Bev Craig, Labour – 309,525 – 66%
Sian Astley, Reform UK – 157,178 – 34%
Round 1
Bev Craig, Labour – 251,449 – 47%
Sian Astley, Reform UK – 111,928 – 21%
Geraldine Coggins, Green Party – 64,968 – 12%
Marlon West, Restore Britain – 46,289 – 9%
Phil Eckersley, Conservative – 41,021 – 8%
Richard Kilpatrick, Lib Dems – 14,702 – 3%
Marcus Farmer, Independent – 2,969 – 1%
What does the Mayor of Greater Manchester do?
The Mayor of Greater Manchester leads Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), bringing together the leaders of our ten councils (Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan) to improve life for people across the city region. The elected Mayor of Greater Manchester is its eleventh member of GMCA.
They represent Greater Manchester at a national and international level, helping build relationships with government and attracting trade and investment. They also oversee a wide range of policy areas that affect people’s everyday lives.
This includes transport, where the Mayor is responsible for how money is spent on new infrastructure, such as tram lines or roads, and planning and housing, where the Mayor can create Mayoral Development Corporations to lead regeneration in specific areas.
The Mayor also sets the budget and priorities for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) and serves as the Police and Crime Commissioner for Greater Manchester Police (GMP), with the power to appoint the Chief Constable, set the policing budget, and hold GMP to account on behalf of the public.
The Mayor also works with businesses to promote economic growth and oversees budgets devolved from central Government, including a £630 million integrated settlement.
The GMCA holds monthly public meetings which rotate around the ten districts. The meetings are live-streamed on the GMCA website and chaired by the elected Mayor.
