Andy Burnham is heading back to Parliament after winning the Makerfield by-election.
The newly elected Labour MP easily beat Reform UK candidate Robert Kenyon.
It marks the end of weeks of campaigning in the constituency based south of Wigan, and the start of the next political race in Greater Manchester for Andy Burnham’s old job as mayor.
Click here for the latest on Greater Manchester’s politics in our newsletter
Becoming an MP disqualifies Burnham from being Greater Manchester mayor, so a replacement needs to be found for the region’s top political job.
That means another by-election is about to take place, with voters across Greater Manchester choosing the next mayor.
It is set to be a massive operation, with 2.1 million people registered to vote in the contest, and around 400,000 expected to do so by post.
Ahead of the crucial race, the Manchester Evening News takes a look at what happens next and when the mayoral by-election will be held.
What date will the by-election for Greater Manchester mayor take place?
The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has confirmed July 30 as the date for the mayoral by-election. The GMCA’s returning officer, Caroline Simpson, told the Manchester Evening News earlier this month: “If the Makerfield by-election result triggers a mayoral by-election, Greater Manchester will be legally required to hold a by-election within 25-35 working days.
“To ensure we are ready, we have identified July 30 as the date which will allow the maximum number of people to vote, whether in person, by post or by proxy.
“This will avoid holding an election during the peak holiday period in August and will mean that postal votes will arrive just before, or only a day or two into, the school holidays.
“While Greater Manchester’s returning officers are very experienced at running elections, the lead time for a mayoral by-election would be shorter than for a scheduled poll.
“So, following legal advice, and with support from government and the Electoral Commission, we have begun essential preparation work such as booking polling stations. We are doing this in advance of, not in anticipation of, the Makerfield by-election outcome on June 19.”
The by-election touches all corners of Greater Manchester, so expect to see candidates campaigning across all ten boroughs of the city-region.
Counting for mayoral elections usually takes place the day after polling day, so the result should be known by Friday, July 31.
What voting system will be used?
The government has just changed the voting system for how mayors are elected.
A system called supplementary voting will be used to elect Greater Manchester’s next mayor, rather than the previous first-past-the-post method.
The change came into force on June 18 after passing through Parliament wrapped up in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act.
It could have a huge impact on deciding who becomes the next mayor of Greater Manchester. Voters choose a first and second preference among candidates in supplementary voting.
If no candidate gets 50 per cent of vote in the first round of voting, a second round of voting is held between the two candidates with the most support.
That’s the stage where secondary votes are added and could flip the entire result on its head.
One potential scenario could see party A win more votes in the first round of voting, but still go on to lose the mayoral by-election if party B picks up more second preference votes in round two.
Reform UK said earlier this week that the change was a ‘cynical attempt’ to sway the race in Labour’s favour. Labour didn’t comment when asked about the claims from Reform.
The change in voting system was debated in the House of Lords on June 16.
Lord Hayward, a Conservative, said: “Let us be honest about this order. It is not normal to identify who would be affected by a particular change of law, but this order is an attempt to prevent Reform winning the possible Greater Manchester mayoralty by-election.
“There is no other justification for the haste with which this order has been introduced, other than that it solves the Labour Party’s problems and prevents Reform winning a mayoralty.”
Baroness Taylor of Stevenage, for Labour, responded: “The Government were very clear during the passage of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act that we intended to make this change for mayoral and PCC elections after May 2026. There is now the potential for such an election; I will come on to more about that in a moment. We are therefore acting to deliver on our commitments made to Parliament.”
What happens next?
Political parties will choose their candidates to stand in the mayoral by-election before campaigning begins.
The rumour mill about who could stand for each party has already kicked in, with names being suggested by sources. Official announcements and campaign launches are expected to happen in the next few days.
What follows will be weeks of campaigning to try and convince voters to back their various visions for Greater Manchester.
The scale of the by-election means parties will be out and about across the region, from Wigan to Stockport and everywhere in between.
Whoever wins the race will be handed one of the most important political jobs in the country, running Greater Manchester.
The mayor of Greater Manchester has a huge range of responsibilities, from deciding the transport budget for the region from government, including over the future of bus services, to being the public’s voice on policing matters, and being in charge of funding for housing and regeneration schemes.
The stage is set for a fascinating race.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login