Bev Craig wins Greater Manchester mayor election for Labour

Bev Craig has won the Greater Manchester mayoral byelection for Labour, taking over from Andy Burnham, who recently became Prime Minister.

Craig received 47% of first-preference votes. Reform UK came second with 21%, and the Greens took 12%. Because no candidate passed 50%, second-preference votes were counted. After this, Craig's share rose to 66.3% against Reform UK's 33.7%. In the final count, she won 309,525 votes to Reform UK candidate Sian Astley's 157,178.

The result is Labour's first big electoral test since Burnham entered Downing Street. In local elections in May, Labour had lost support to Reform UK and the Greens across Greater Manchester. This time, Labour won back many of those areas.