Manchester votes for new mayor amid Labour leadership changes
Voters in the English city of Manchester are electing a new mayor on Thursday to replace Andy Burnham, who resigned to become Britain’s prime minister, reports BritPanorama.
This election presents a crucial opportunity for roughly 2 million voters to assess the governing Labour Party, which Burnham aims to revive following its declining popularity. Polling stations are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., with vote counting commencing Friday morning.
Burnham served as mayor of Greater Manchester for nine years until he won a special election for a parliamentary seat last month, with intentions to challenge the then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer for leadership of the Labour Party.
His ascent prompted Starmer to announce his resignation after just two years in office. Burnham stood as the sole candidate and assumed the prime ministerial role on July 20. He has since established a branch of the prime minister’s office in the city, referred to as “No. 10 North,” to fulfill his commitment to empower local leaders and facilitate economic growth nationwide.
The Greater Manchester region has a population of approximately 3 million, encompassing the city itself and its surrounding towns. Burnham won three consecutive mayoral elections in 2017, 2021, and 2024, and Labour candidate Bev Craig, the current leader of Manchester City Council, is contending to retain the position for the party.
Burnham described his time as mayor as an “immense privilege” and encouraged voters to support Craig in continuing the progress achieved. Craig’s competition includes six other candidates, among them Sian Astley from the anti-immigration party Reform UK, which saw substantial gains in various parts of Greater Manchester during local elections in May.
Labour’s support has also dwindled to the Green Party, which triumphed in a special parliamentary election in the Gorton and Denton district of Greater Manchester in February. This result positioned Labour in third place and heightened concerns regarding Starmer’s leadership. Those concerns intensified following the May electoral defeat, which catalyzed Starmer’s departure and Burnham’s rise.
Rob Ford, a professor of politics at the University of Manchester, remarked, “Labour want a show of strength in a city region where the party has long been politically dominant.”
In a blog post for the U.K. in a Changing Europe think tank, Ford noted, “A big win in his former stomping ground will provide a significant boost for Andy Burnham.”
