Labour’s Bev Craig will succeed Andy Burnham as the new mayor of Greater Manchester.

After no candidate secured outright victory in the first round by winning more than half of the vote, Craig beat Reform UK’s Sian Astley by 309,525 to 157,178 after second-preference votes were added.

The by-election for a new mayor was called after Burnham was elected as MP for Makerfield in Greater Manchester in June, paving the way for him to become prime minister last month.

As well as having led Manchester City Council since 2021, Craig has been Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s deputy mayor for economy, business and inclusive growth.

Craig said she would “set myself a simple task… That every single decision I take, as your Mayor of Greater Manchester, will pass the test of making your life better.”

She said the city region that had given the world the Suffragettes had “changed the world” and would do so again in the future.

She promised: “I will defend this city region with every bone in my body and I will fight for a better life for all of us.”

Thanking those who voted for her as well as others who had “loaned their votes” as second preferences, she said: “The special ‘thank you’ has to go to the residents of Greater Manchester.”

She said: “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.”

In the first round, Craig secured 47% of the vote, compared with Astley’s 21%.

This meant the ballot papers from voters who did not select either of them as their first choice were brought back into play.

They were checked to see if the second-preference votes were for either the Labour or Reform candidate.

They were then added to the first-preference votes.

Craig expanded her already significant lead.

More than two million people across Greater Manchester’s 10 boroughs were eligible to vote in the contest but turnout was just under 25%.

Analysis of the votes showed that Craig came top of the poll in the first round of voting in all the 10 local authority areas that make up Greater Manchester.

Astley came second in eight of the 10 areas, while the Green candidate Geraldine Coggins came second in Manchester and the Conservative candidate Phil Eckersley was second in Trafford.

In her speech, Craig said: “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.”

She continued: “Everyone deserves a quality home in a good neighbourhood,” said Craig, adding that people should be able to plan for their future and for that of their children.

She added: “We have to move away from divisive politics, and we’ll do it together.”

Congratulations came from Labour’s deputy leader Lucy Powell, the MP for Manchester Central, who posted on X, external: “Huge congratulations to @bevcraig our fantastic new Mayor of Greater Manchester.

“Thank you to our tireless activists who have worked so hard to help deliver this win.”