Labour’s Bev Craig has been elected Mayor of Greater Manchester after a marathon count that ended more than 24 hours after polling stations closed. Ms Craig was declared the winner of the mayoral by-election in a result that gave Labour a decisive victory. The contest has been described as the largest by-election in British history, underlining the significance of the outcome for the region and for national party politics.
Voters across Greater Manchester went to the polls on Thursday 30 July 2026, with polling stations open from 7am to 10pm. The scale of the ballot meant that the count continued through the night and into the next day, and candidates, campaign teams and the public had to wait for the official declaration. The prolonged verification process was a defining feature of the election, with the result finally confirmed when the count concluded. Ms Craig was named as the winning candidate after every ballot had been processed. The delay was unusual for a contest of this kind, but it reflected the scale of the election and the careful checking required.
The by-election was called because a vacancy had opened in the directly elected mayoral post, requiring voters to choose a new mayor before the next scheduled election. In British politics, a by-election of this kind is normally held to fill a seat that has become vacant between ordinary polls. The Greater Manchester race was unusually large, and it was described as the largest by-election in British history. The size of the electorate and the volume of votes cast added to the length of the count.
Following the declaration, the full results were published, providing a detailed breakdown of the votes cast across the region. Ms Craig’s victory was described as decisive, with Labour securing a clear mandate from the electorate. The full results gave voters a detailed view of how the contest had unfolded across Greater Manchester, rounding out a picture that had remained incomplete while counting continued. By-elections on this scale are widely regarded as important signals of party strength outside a general election, and political parties often study their results closely as they assess their positions.
The outcome brings the by-election process to a close and leaves Labour holding the mayoralty. The marathon count, which stretched beyond a full day after the close of polling, was a defining feature of the contest. For Ms Craig, the declaration marks the beginning of her tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester, with the focus now turning to the work of the administration she will lead.
