Labour candidate Bev Craig has won the largest by-election in British history as she was voted in as Greater Manchester mayor, succeeding Andy Burnham in the job.
The result was announced late on Friday night, more than 24 hours after polling stations closed, in a comfortable win, although with a low turnout.
Ms Craig won 47.15% of votes in the first round, just short of the 50% needed to win outright in the Supplementary Vote (SV) system, so there was a second round against Reform UK candidate Sian Astley, on 20.99%.
Labour gained 58,076 more votes when the second preferences of the five eliminated candidates were distributed, with Reform getting 45,250, leaving Ms Craig on 309,525 and Ms Astley on 157,178.
More than two million people were eligible to vote in the contest, triggered by Mr Burnham’s election to Parliament last month, but the turnout was just under 25%.
In her victory speech at Manchester’s Co-Op Arena Live, Ms Craig said: “To have trust placed in you is an honour.
“I’m honoured, I’m humbled and I stand ready to serve the three million people that live across this fantastic city region. I will serve every single one of them, every single day.
“I never believed as a girl growing up on a council estate that one day I would have the chance to stand for the place that I love, the place in this world that I’m proud to call home and to offer my service to make our city region better.
“Greater Manchester’s potential lies in its future and when Westminster walked away from us, when we were struggling as a deindustrialised city region, it was the people in this place that began the journey to rebuild.”
She continued: “For too many people across our region, life is simply too hard. The generational belief that we had, that if you work hard and do the right thing, your life will be better and the life of the community will be better, is something that many people just don’t feel at the minute.
“And that’s the challenge that we in politics have to face as well.
“And it’s why I set myself a simple task and I make that commitment to you today. That every single decision I take, as your Mayor of Greater Manchester, will pass the test of making your life better.”
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