Bev Craig has claimed a decisive victory in the Greater Manchester mayoral by-election, winning more than 309,000 votes to succeed Andy Burnham, who vacated the position after becoming Prime Minister last month. The Labour politician defeated Reform candidate Sian Astley by a commanding margin, securing nearly twice as many votes as her nearest rival in a contest that drew significant national attention.
For Craig, the win represents both a homecoming and a leap forward. Born and raised on a council estate in Belfast, she arrived in Manchester at 18 to study politics and modern history at the University of Manchester in 2003. After graduating, she built a career spanning local government, higher education, and trade union work focused on social care, gradually elishing herself as a formidable presence in the city’s political landscape. Her election as a councillor for Burnage ward in 2011 marked the beginning of a rapid ascent through the ranks of Manchester City Council, culminating in her appointment as leader in 2021 when Sir Richard Leese stepped down after a quarter century in charge.
At 41, Craig made history as both the first woman and first openly gay person to lead Manchester City Council. Her tenure has been marked by significant achievements, including sustained annual economic growth exceeding 3% over the past decade, making Manchester one of the fastest growing city economies in Europe. Under her leadership, the council delivered social housing for the first time in 40 years, addressing longstanding criticism about the lack of affordable homes despite a forest of new skyscrs reshaping the city centre skyline. Perhaps most notably, children’s services received an outstanding rating from inspectors in November 2025, capping a decade long improvement journey from an inadequate rating in 2014.
Yet challenges have shadowed these successes. Crime and anti-social behaviour in Piccadilly Gardens, the city centre’s flagship public space, have generated persistent negative headlines throughout her council leadership. Despite multiple multi-million pound revamp plans and high-profile policing operations, incidents of violence continue to plague the area. Work began in February 2026 on the latest attempt to transform the gardens into what Craig has described as an attractive world class space, though sceptics point to the long history of failed interventions.
Craig’s mayoral campaign focused squarely on cost of living concerns and regional connectivity. Her headline pledges include freezing Metrolink and bus fares on the Bee Network while extending free bus travel to all 11 to 18 year olds, expanding beyond the current scheme that covers only 16 to 18 year olds. She has promised to ensure everyone shares in Greater Manchester’s economic success, putting more money in people’s pockets through a New High Streets Fund designed to restore pride in town centres across the region’s 10 boroughs. Her platform also emphasizes building a new generation of council and affordable homes alongside further expansion of the Bee Network public transport system.
As Craig prepares to take the helm of a city region home to more than two million people, questions remain about how closely she will follow Burnham’s agenda or strike out with her own priorities. Her experience navigating both the pandemic as executive member for adult social care and health, and the subsequent recovery as deputy mayor for economy, business and inclusive growth, positions her well for the complexities ahead. Whether she can deliver on her ambitious promises while addressing persistent challenges like public safety and housing affordability will define her mayoralty and determine if Greater Manchester’s recent growth translates into tangible improvements for residents across every borough.
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