Bev Craig
Labour and Co-operative politician elected Mayor of Greater Manchester in 2026.
Craig, Labour's candidate, won the Greater Manchester mayoralty on 30 July after the contest's first-ever second round, taking 66.3% on transfers having led the first count with 47.1%.
Last refreshed: 3 August 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Bev Craig led by 26 points; why did the contest still need a second round?
Timeline for Bev Craig
Won Greater Manchester's mayoralty after second-round transfers
UK Local Elections 2026: Craig wins Manchester in its first second roundBackground
Bev Craig is a Labour and Co-operative politician who was Leader of Manchester City Council before winning the Greater Manchester mayoralty. She stood as Labour's candidate in the 30 July 2026 by-election called after Andy Burnham Left the office on his PATH to Downing Street.
Her win came only after the contest went to a second round for the first time in the mayoralty's history, under the Supplementary Vote system restored for English mayors earlier in 2026.
Craig now holds the office only until the scheduled 2028 election, giving her a comparatively short initial term in which to establish her own mandate for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
Craig wins Manchester's first second round
Craig led the first count on 30 July with 251,449 first preferences (47.1%), short of the outright win required, and went on to take 309,525 votes (66.3%) once second preferences transferred, beating Reform UK's Sian Astley. It was the first time the Greater Manchester mayoralty had needed a second round.
Craig takes over from Andy Burnham, who vacated the office on entering the Commons and then Downing Street, and holds it only until the scheduled 2028 election. Turnout fell to 25.1%, the mayoralty's lowest, a fact her win will be measured against as transfer-based results become the norm under the restored Supplementary Vote.