Greater Manchester Mayoral By-election Heads to Second Round Amidst Voter Scrutiny

The Greater Manchester mayoral election of 2026 is currently undergoing a second round of vote counting, a process necessitated by the unique Supplementary Voting (SV) system employed for this election. Unlike the traditional "first past the post" method used in general and most local elections, the SV system requires voters to choose both a first and second-choice candidate. This specific system was also in effect for the mayoral elections in 2017 and 2021, distinguishing it from the 2024 elections which used the "first past the post" approach.

Under the Supplementary Voting system, a candidate is declared mayor if they secure over 50% of the valid first-choice votes in the initial count. However, if no candidate achieves this threshold, as occurred in the current election, the contest proceeds to a second round. In this decisive stage, only the two candidates who received the most first-choice votes remain, and the second-choice votes from eliminated candidates are then reallocated to these top two contenders. For the 2026 Greater Manchester mayoral by-election, this second count is unfolding between Labour's Bev Craig and Reform UK's Sian Niamh Astley, with the final result not anticipated until later on Friday night.

This significant by-election was triggered by the resignation of former Mayor Andy Burnham, who stepped down from the post after being elected as the Member of Parliament for Makerfield and subsequently became Prime Minister. Mr. Burnham had served as the Mayor of Greater Manchester from May 2017 until June 2026. This by-election marks a historical moment as the first in the UK for a strategic authority mayor and stands as the biggest by-election ever held in the country.

The Mayor of Greater Manchester holds extensive powers, overseeing strategic governance across the region in crucial areas such as health, transport, housing, strategic planning, waste management, policing, and the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service.

A total of seven candidates vied for the mayoral position. These included Sian Niamh Astley for Reform UK, Geraldine Coggins for the Green Party, Bev Craig for Labour, Phil Eckersley for the Conservative Party, Marcus Jonathan Farmer as an independent candidate, Richard Martin Kilpatrick for the Liberal Democrats, and Marlon Scott West for Restore Britain.

The election saw a turnout of 25.14%, with 538,659 votes cast from an electorate of 2,142,779. Polls closed at 10 pm on Thursday, July 30, and the count commenced on Friday at Co-op Live from 9 am.

Voters across all 10 Greater Manchester boroughs participated, with specific results highlighting the preferences in Trafford and Salford. In Trafford, approximately 170,000 eligible voters cast their ballots. The first stage of voting saw Bev Craig (Labour and Co-operative Party) leading with 30,966 votes, followed by Phil Eckersley (The Conservative Party Candidate) with 9,315 votes, Sian Niamh Astley (Reform UK) with 8,620 votes, Geraldine Coggins (The Green Party) with 8,037 votes, Marlon Scott West (Restore Britain) with 3,136 votes, Richard Martin Kilpatrick (Liberal Democrats) with 1,659 votes, and Marcus Jonathan Farmer (Independent) with 181 votes. Following the reallocation of second-choice votes, Bev Craig's total in Trafford reached 38,818 votes, while Sian Niamh Astley's total climbed to 13,629 votes.

Similarly, in Salford, with around 189,000 eligible voters, the first stage results were: Bev Craig (Labour and Co-operative Party) 21,445 votes, Sian Niamh Astley (Reform UK) 9,600 votes, Geraldine Coggins (The Green Party) 5,641 votes, Marlon Scott West (Restore Britain) 4,225 votes, Phil Eckersley (The Conservative Party Candidate) 3,545 votes, Richard Martin Kilpatrick (Liberal Democrats) 1,095 votes, and Marcus Jonathan Farmer (Independent) 247 votes. After the second stage of counting, Bev Craig accumulated 26,839 votes in Salford, and Sian Niamh Astley reached a total of 13,628 votes.