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2026 Greater Manchester mayoral by-election

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2026 Greater Manchester mayoral by-election
← 2024
30 July 2026
2028 →
Incumbent Mayor

Paul Dennett (acting)[a]
Labour



The 2026 Greater Manchester mayoral by-election, triggered by incumbent mayor Andy Burnham's disqualification from the post after winning the 2026 Makerfield by-election, is to be held on 30 July 2026. The winner will serve as Mayor of Greater Manchester until the 2028 Greater Manchester mayoral election. It will be the United Kingdom's first by-election for a strategic authority mayor, and the biggest by-election ever held in Britain.

Background

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The Mayor of Greater Manchester serves as the directly elected leader of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. The Mayor has power over an investment directly to the combined authority from the government of £30 million a year for 30 years from 2017. The Mayor also incorporates the police and crime commissioner role of the Greater Manchester Police into their post. In addition to these, the mayor has authority over strategic housing planning, transport, adult education and skills, social care and other issues.[1]

The first election was held in 2017. The Labour candidate Andy Burnham was elected as the inaugural mayor, and he was re-elected in 2021 and 2024. In 2026, Burnham applied to be the Labour Party candidate in the 2026 Gorton and Denton by-election but his candidacy was blocked by the party's National Executive Committee. During the 2026 Labour Party leadership crisis surrounding Keir Starmer, Burnham was selected as the Labour Party candidate in the Makerfield by-election, which he won comfortably.[2][3] Burnham has been touted by many commentators as a potential successor to Starmer, whom he previously supported during the 2020 leadership election.[4][5][6]

Mayors of combined authorities that hold police and crime commissioner powers are disqualified if they become a member of Parliament, triggering a mayoral by-election.[7] 30 July 2026 was identified before the Makerfield by-election as the likely date for the by-election, and was confirmed by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority the morning the Makerfield result was announced.[8][9] The normal cycle for Greater Manchester mayoral elections is once every four years and the 2028 Greater Manchester mayoral election is still scheduled to take place:[10] the candidate elected in 2026 will serve until the 2028 election.

With an electorate of over two million, it will be the biggest by-election ever held in Britain.[b][12] It is the first strategic authority mayor by-election[12] and the cost of holding it is expected to be £4.7 million.[13]

Electoral system

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While the 2024 election was conducted using the first-past-the-post system to elect the mayor, the UK government re-introduced the Supplementary Vote system on 18 June 2026, which had been used for all prior Greater Manchester mayoral elections. Voters will be able to vote for two candidates, expressing a first and second preference. If a candidate receives more than 50% of first preference votes, they are elected mayor. If no candidate breaks the 50% threshold, the top two candidates proceed to a second round and all other candidates are eliminated. Votes cast for eliminated candidates are then re-counted for their second preferences, and if cast for either of the two remaining candidates, these are added to their tally. After all second preference votes are counted and re-allocated, the candidate among the remaining two who has the most votes is declared the winner and elected.[13][14]

All registered electors living in Greater Manchester aged 18 or over will be entitled to vote in the mayoral by-election. Those who are temporarily away from Greater Manchester (for example, away working, on holiday, in student accommodation or in hospital) will also be entitled to vote in the mayoral by-election. The deadline to register to vote in the election is 14 July 2026.[15]

Candidates

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Labour Party

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The Labour Party announced Bev Craig, leader of Manchester City Council, as its candidate on 23 June.[16]

Green Party

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The Green Party of England and Wales announced Geraldine Coggins, the leader of the Green Party group on Trafford Council, as its candidate on 20 June.[17]

Restore Britain

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Restore Britain announced Marlon West, who campaigned for Rebecca Shepherd at the Makerfield by-election, as its candidate on 22 June.[18]

Other parties

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George Galloway announced on X that he would end his self-imposed exile to stand for the Workers Party of Britain.[19]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The powers and functions of the mayor were exercised and performed by the Deputy Mayor Paul Dennett after the end of Andy Burnham's term on 19 June pending the election of a new mayor.
  2. ^ The number of registered voters in the 2024 Greater Manchester mayoral election was 2,088,644.[11]

References

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  1. ^ Otter, Saffron (4 May 2021). "What does the Greater Manchester mayor do and what are their powers?". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  2. ^ "Andy Burnham Launches Bid To Return To Parliament". Politics Home. 14 May 2026. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  3. ^ "Andy Burnham confirmed as Labour candidate in Makerfield". BBC News. 19 May 2026. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
  4. ^ Pidd, Helen (14 November 2020). "Andy Burnham: 'The real me comes out when I'm angry'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  5. ^ Kettle, Martin (30 May 2022). "Andy Burnham is a prime Labour leader candidate, but also a mayor. That's a problem". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  6. ^ "Who is Andy Burnham – King of the North or Next Labour Leader?". Politics.co.uk. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  7. ^ "Police and Crime Commissioners and elected mayors". Erskine May. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  8. ^ Carey, Declan (9 June 2026). "Date confirmed for Greater Manchester mayor election if Andy Burnham becomes MP". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  9. ^ "Greater Manchester Mayoral Elections". Greater Manchester Elects. 19 June 2026. Archived from the original on 20 June 2026. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  10. ^ "Local authority, combined authority, and county combined authority election cycles in England". GOV.UK. 22 July 2025. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  11. ^ "Previous Mayoral Election Results". Greater Manchester Elects. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  12. ^ a b Carey, Declan (14 May 2026). "Are Labour likely to lose the mayoral election to Reform or the Greens? Have the rules changed?". Manchester Evening News.
  13. ^ a b Burnell, Paul (19 June 2026). "Andy Burnham's win means change at the top for Greater Manchester". BBC News. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  14. ^ "The Combined Authorities (Mayoral Elections) (Amendment) Order 2026", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 17 June 2026, SI 2026/652, retrieved 20 June 2026
  15. ^ "Greater Manchester Elects (@GMElects) on X". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  16. ^ Waddington, Marc (23 June 2026). "Labour announces Manchester council boss as metro mayor candidate". BBC News.
  17. ^ Kenyon, Megan (19 June 2026). "Green Party's Manchester mayoral candidate revealed". The New Statesman.
  18. ^ "Rupert Lowe MP (@RupertLowe10) on X". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 22 June 2026.
  19. ^ "George Galloway (@georgegalloway) on X". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 19 June 2026.
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