Who is Bev Craig, Labour’s candidate for Greater Manchester Mayor?

Manchester City Council leader Bev Craig has been selected as Labour’s candidate in the by-election for Greater Manchester Mayor.

The contest comes after Andy Burnham’s return to Westminster as the newly elected MP for Makerfield.

Craig, who was born and raised in Belfast, moved to Manchester in 2003, graduating from university in the city four years later with a degree in politics and modern history.

After serving in a number of positions across local government and for the trade union Unison, she was first elected as a councillor for Burnage in 2011 and became deputy leader of the council in 2021.

Widely regarded as a rising star within the Labour Party, she was appointed leader of Manchester City Council in 2021, becoming the city’s first woman and openly gay leader. She also serves as the Local Government Association’s vice-chair and leader of the LGA’s Labour Group.

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For her services to local government, she was awarded an OBE in last year’s New Year Honours List.

Labour is expected to face stiff competition from the Green Party and Reform UK, who both made gains across the region in May’s local elections. Workers Party leader George Galloway has also said he plans to stand in the by-election, despite living in self-imposed exile in Russia.

Voters in Greater Manchester will go to the polls on July 30.

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