How will Labour choose its candidate for Mayor of Greater Manchester? 

Andy Burnham’s victory in yesterday’s Makerfield by-election has automatically triggered the process to elect the next mayor of Greater Manchester.

The Labour Party has yet to officially select its candidate. Councillor Bev Craig, the leader of Manchester City Council, is understood to be the frontrunner in the race to succeed Burnham. 

The Labour Party’s National Executive Committee is opening candidate applications today at 5pm, closing on Sunday. A longlist will be drawn up on Monday, followed by interviews with candidates. The shortlist will be published on Tuesday. An all-members ballot will be issued with the final candidate to be announced on Friday. 

READ MORE: Andy Burnham elected MP for Makerfield with over 54 per cent of the vote

One NEC source said they did not expect a contest with only one candidate rumoured to enter the race. In the event of a contest, candidates will publish their statements. No hustings are scheduled. 

Sitting MPs are eligible to run for the Mayoralty but they must resign from Parliament if and when they are elected. 

In 2016, the Labour Party held an election to choose its candidate for the Greater Manchester Mayoralty. A shortlist was announced followed by a hustings and final selection vote by Party members. Andy Burnham won the nomination with a plurality of votes, defeating former MPs Tony Lloyd and Ivan Lewis. The Party faced criticism at the time for an all-male shortlist. 

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Burnham was re-elected in 2021 and 2024. 

The cost of holding a Greater Manchester Mayoral by-election has not been announced. The 2021 Mayoral Election cost taxpayers £4.7 million. Earlier this year, several Labour NEC members opposed Andy Burnham’s candidacy for the Gordon and Denton by-election over the “disproportionate” cost. 

The voting system to elect the Mayor could be set to change. This month, the House of Lords passed the Combined Authorities (Mayoral Elections) (Amendment) Order 2026. The new system would revert mayoral elections to the supplementary vote system. They had previously used the first-past-the-post. Under the new rules, voters get a first and second preference candidate choice.

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority has scheduled the Mayoral by-election date for 30 July.

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