Labour’s Bev Craig wins Manchester mayoralty after vote went to second round as she takes over from Andy Burnham

LABOUR’S Bev Craig will succeed Andy Burnham as Greater Manchester’s new mayor. Bev received 309,525 counts while Reform UK’s Sian Astley received 157,178 in the by-election on Thursday. Bev Craig was elected as mayor of Greater Manchester Credit: Getty Bev received 309,525 votes in the second round Credit: PA No candidate surpassed 50 per cent of the vote in the first round, with Bev raking in 251,449 counts, representing 47.15 per cent. Sian received just 111,928 counts, representing 20.99 per cent of votes, while the remaining five other candidates were eliminated. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! The final results represented a huge win for Labour, who ultimately swept in 66.3 per cent of votes, as Reform claimed just 33.7 per cent. Reflecting on the victory, Bev said: “The special thank you has to go to the residents of GM. The results represented a huge win for Labour, who swept in 66.3 per cent of the votes Credit: PA Bev said she was ‘humbled’ and ‘honoured’ to serve as mayor Credit: PA “To have trust placed in you. I’m honoured, I’m humbled and I stand ready to serve.” She vowed to “put more money” in the public’s pocket, stressing that everyone deserves a “quality home in a good neighbourhood”. Bev also urged people to reject the “politics of hate” and look out for one another. “We have to move away from divisive politics, and we’ll do it together,” she said. Most read in The Sun As the first female metro mayor, she promised: “I will defend this city region with every bone in my body and I will fight for a better life for all of us.” Polling stations closed at 10pm on Thursday, with the count taking place at 9am on Friday. The turnout was revealed at 2pm today, with 538,659 votes cast from an electorate of 2,142,779, representing a meagre 25 per cent turnout – the lowest on record for the mayoral role in the region. The by-election, the largest ever in the UK, used the supplementary vote system, which means people vote for two candidates each. The historic vote follows Andy Burnham‘s decision to stand down as mayor to become MP for Makerfield, paving the way for him to become Prime Minister earlier this month. Andy previously secured three terms as mayor of Greater Manchester, receiving 63 per cent of the vote in both the 2017 and 2024 elections. It comes as the Prime Minister unveiled No 10 North, a new centre of government power located in Heron House, central Manchester. The Prime Minister will be based there at least once a week, as will several Cabinet members, including Housing Secretary Angela Rayner and Education Secretary Lucy Powell.