Labour retains Greater Manchester mayoralty as Bev Craig wins low-turnout vote

Labour has retained the Greater Manchester mayoralty after Bev Craig won the contest following a two-round count. Craig, who leads Manchester City Council, secured 47.15% of first-round votes before second preferences were added. The result keeps the post in Labour hands after a vote triggered by Andy Burnham's return to parliament.

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According to the published results, Craig finished ahead of Reform UK candidate Sian Astley, who took 21% in the first round. Because no candidate reached the 50% threshold needed for an outright win, the count moved to a second round. Labour then gained more than 58,000 additional votes from second preferences, while Reform added 45,250, leaving Craig on 309,525 first- or second-preference votes compared with 157,178 for Astley.

Turnout was just under 25%, with more than two million people eligible to vote in Thursday's poll. The low participation rate means the result was decided by a relatively small share of the electorate, even though the mayoralty covers one of England's largest city regions. The office has significant influence over transport, housing, skills and regional economic policy.

The contest also marks a change in leadership after Burnham's long tenure in the role. He first won the mayoralty in 2017 and was re-elected twice, most recently in 2024 with 63% of the vote. His departure followed a move back to Westminster, after he won the Makerfield seat in a by-election in June.

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Burnham's return to parliament came after he announced in May that he would contest the seat in order to re-enter national politics. The transition matters because Greater Manchester has been one of the clearest examples of England's devolved city-region model, with the mayor seen as a central figure in negotiations over local powers and funding. The result also comes as the new government has said it wants mayors to keep a share of taxes raised in their areas.

What remains unclear is how Craig will use the office to shape the region's next phase of policy, and how quickly the new arrangements on local tax retention will be developed. The result also leaves open how Reform UK will build on its second-place finish in future local contests. For now, Labour has held on to a key metropolitan post, but with a much lower turnout than in Burnham's previous victories.

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