Who is Bev Craig? The person replacing Burnham as the new Greater Manchester mayor
- Labour’s Bev Craig has won the by-election for the Greater Manchester mayoralty, which was triggered by Andy Burnham’s departure to become Prime Minister.
- Ms Craig was the favourite and won after a second count, over coming Sian Astley from Reform UK with 309,525 votes to 157,178.
- Craig moves into the role having served as the leader of Manchester City Council. She is considered a protégé of Burnham and is expected to benefit from a ‘Burnham bounce’ in Labour’s national standing.
- She plans to offer a blend of continuity and new policies, such as extending free bus passes, while asserting her own leadership distinct from Burnham.
- She also intends to demand greater devolved powers from Burnham, focusing on areas like skills, housing, and tackling empty high street businesses.
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