LABOUR retained the Greater Manchester mayoralty on Friday after Bev Craig was elected to succeed Andy Burnham, whose return to parliament triggered the election.
Craig, the leader of Manchester City Council, won 47.15 per cent of the first-round vote, falling short of the 50 per cent needed for an outright victory.
Reform UK, which has been performing strongly in national polls, finished second with 21 per cent of the vote.
As no candidate secured more than 50 per cent in the first round, the count moved to a second round.
Labour gained more than 58,000 additional votes after the second preferences of eliminated candidates were counted, while Reform picked up 45,250 more votes, according to results published on the mayoral website.
Craig finished with 309,525 first or second preference votes, compared with 157,178 for Reform UK's Sian Astley.
More than two million people were eligible to vote in Thursday's election. Turnout was just under 25 per cent, according to the published results.
The election followed Burnham's return to Westminster after he decided to seek a seat in parliament.
Burnham was first elected Greater Manchester mayor in 2017 and won re-election twice, most recently in 2024 with 63 per cent of the vote.
His defence of the region earned him the nickname "King of the North".
In May, Burnham announced he would contest a by-election in the Makerfield constituency in an effort to return to parliament.
He won the seat in June, allowing him to return to Westminster and successfully challenge former prime minister Keir Starmer for the leadership of the Labour Party and the country.
Earlier on Friday, Burnham's two-week-old government announced plans to allow mayors to retain a share of the taxes collected in their areas to give regions greater control over spending.
The move forms part of Burnham's plan to shift power away from the country's highly centralised government in London.
