Bev Craig Secures Greater Manchester Mayoral By-Election
Low Turnout and Prolonged Count Mar Historic Vote Following Andy Burnham's Parliamentary Shift
Sarah Connor
Bev Craig was declared the winner of the Greater Manchester mayoral by-election.
The mayoral result, known for hours, finally became official, confirming Bev Craig's victory.
Craig immediately affirmed her policy commitments, pledging free buses for 11 to 18-year-olds across the entire region.
She also claimed Westminster 'walked away' from the deindustrialised city region.
This assertion directly addresses the long-standing economic challenges faced by Greater Manchester, a region scarred by industrial decline.
Andy Burnham, the previous mayor, was elected to Parliament last month, creating the vacancy for this by-election.
Burnham previously oversaw a 3% growth in the region over 10 years.
During his time, Burnham launched No 10 in the North, near the Town Hall.
You are the right person to lead this great city region forward into its best decade ever, because that is what the next decade is going to be.
He stated, "You are the right person to lead this great city region forward into its best decade ever, because that is what the next decade is going to be."
This election, described as the biggest ever held in the UK, operated under the supplementary voting system.
Voters selected both a first and second preference.
Sian Astley of Reform UK emerged as Craig's closest rival, securing 20.99 per cent of first-preference votes.
She accumulated 157,178 votes after the distribution of second preferences.
A full breakdown of first-round votes is available for all 10 local authorities within Greater Manchester, revealing varied local dynamics.
Differing runner-up positions emerged across the region: in Manchester, the Green Party's Geraldine Coggins finished second, while in Trafford, the Conservative Party's Phil Eckersley was the runner-up.
Reform UK's recent performance in the Wigan local elections in May saw the party win 24 out of 25 seats, with Labour failing to secure any.
This shift in Wigan contrasts sharply with Astley's runner-up position in the mayoral race, indicating varied stakeholder pressures and localized political sentiments across the region.
Apathy towards politics and a lack of engagement with the mayoral role are believed to have played a part in the low turnout, reflecting a broader societal trend of disengagement.
Bev Craig officially starts her role on Monday, August 1st, as Greater Manchester's new mayor, having previously served as an ex-Burnage councillor.
Craig stated, "They voted for Greater Manchester to build on the legacy that we’ve created together, but they voted to reject the division and the dividing lines that people put in our communities."
The by-election was also claimed to be the largest in British history, an assertion that remains uncorroborated.