Sian Astley
Reform UK candidate who lost the 2026 Greater Manchester mayoral contest to Bev Craig.
Astley stood for Reform UK in the 30 July Greater Manchester mayoral contest, taking 21.0% of first preferences and 33.7% after transfers, losing to Labour's Bev Craig in the mayoralty's first second round.
Last refreshed: 3 August 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Sian Astley took 21% in Greater Manchester; why does that undercut Reform's national polling?
Timeline for Sian Astley
Lost the second round to Craig after transfers
UK Local Elections 2026: Craig wins Manchester in its first second roundBackground
Sian Astley is a Reform UK politician who stood as the party's candidate in the 30 July 2026 Greater Manchester mayoral by-election. She contested the seat against Labour's Bev Craig after Andy Burnham's departure for Downing Street Left the office vacant.
Astley's result marked Reform UK's first attempt at the Greater Manchester mayoralty, run under the restored Supplementary Vote system, and gave the party a benchmark for its support in a large metropolitan area rather than in the smaller wards and by-elections where it had previously performed strongly.
Her transfer share of 33.7% still fell well short of Craig's 66.3%, in a field that also included the Green Party, Restore Britain, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and an independent, on a turnout of 25.1%, the mayoralty's lowest to date.
Astley's Reform bid falls short in Manchester
Astley took 111,928 first preferences (21.0%) in the 30 July count, rising to 157,178 (33.7%) once the contest went to the mayoralty's first-ever second round, but still lost to Labour's Bev Craig.
Her first-preference share sat two to three points below Reform UK's national polling at the time, in a contest where turnout fell to 25.1%, the lowest the mayoralty has recorded, a result that will be weighed against the party's stronger national numbers as it tests how FAR its support travels into England's biggest metro mayoralty.