Bev Craig

Beverley Anne Craig (born 27 January 1985) is a British Labour Co-op politician who has served as the Mayor of Greater Manchester since August 2026.

Craig previously served as Leader of Manchester City Council from December 2021 to August 2026 and had represented Burnage as a councillor from 2011 to 2026. Following the disqualification of Andy Burnham as a result of his election as an MP, Craig was elected Mayor of Greater Manchester on 30 July 2026, defeating Reform UK candidate Sian Astley in the final round of the mayoral by-election. As mayor, she is an ex officio member, and chair, of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. Craig is the first woman and the first openly LGBTQ+ person to lead Manchester City Council. Her election as mayor also made her the first woman elected to lead the Greater Manchester Combined Authority,

Speaking about her upbringing, Craig told the BBC: "I grew up in social housing and my family still rely on it. I know the value of [what] the safety net of a good quality home can give you when times are tough". She also said that she wanted "to reach a point where me being a woman and being gay is entirely uninteresting and unremarkable".

Political career

Manchester City Council (2011–2026)

Craig was elected to Manchester City Council for Burnage at the 2011 local elections. During her early career on the council, she held a number of policy and scrutiny positions before joining the council executive.

She was re-elected in 2012, 2016, 2021, and 2024.

From 2017 until 2021, Craig served as Executive Member for Adult Services, Health, Wellbeing and Inclusion. She was also Deputy Chair of Manchester Health and Care Commissioning and co-chair of the Manchester Local Care Organisation, which coordinates health and social-care services between Manchester City Council and local NHS bodies.

Leader of Manchester City Council (2021–2026) In October 2021, Craig was elected Leader of the Manchester Labour Group and selected to succeed Sir Richard Leese, who had led Manchester City Council since 1996.

Craig formally became Leader of Manchester City Council at a full council meeting on 1 December 2021 following Leese's retirement. She became both the first woman and the first openly LGBTQ+ person to lead the council.

Craig has also served as Vice-Chair of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Vice-Chair of the Local Government Association. She previously served as Chair of Core Cities UK, a network representing the largest UK cities outside London.

In the 2026 New Year Honours, Craig was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) "for services to local government".

2026 Greater Manchester mayoral by-election

Following Andy Burnham's disqualification as Mayor of Greater Manchester after his election to Parliament, Craig was selected as the Labour and Co-operative Party candidate in the 2026 Greater Manchester mayoral by-election. Following Burnham's departure, Deputy Mayor Paul Dennett exercised the functions of mayor on an acting basis pending the election.

Craig stood against six other candidates, including Reform UK candidate Sian Niamh Astley.

Polling took place on 30 July 2026 using the supplementary vote system. Craig received 47 per cent of first-preference votes, while Astley received 21 per cent. As no candidate secured more than 50 per cent of the first-preference vote, eligible second preferences cast by those who voted for eliminated candidates were redistributed. Mayor of Greater Manchester (2026–present) On 3 August 2026, Craig officially assumed office as Mayor and shortly afterwards she announced that Burnham's Deputy Mayors Kate Green and Paul Dennett would be reappointed as Deputy Mayors under her.

Since taking office as Mayor of Greater Manchester in August 2026, Craig has begun to establish an agenda centred on housing, regeneration, economic growth, transport and stronger local communities. Her approach represents considerable continuity with the wider Greater Manchester model developed under Andy Burnham, but she has placed particular emphasis on neighbourhoods and town centres rather than concentrating solely on Manchester city centre. Her administration has proposed using publicly owned land more effectively through a Greater Manchester public-sector land bank, while an initial target is to deliver 10,000 new social homes by May 2028.

On housing, Craig supported increasing the supply of council and affordable homes across Greater Manchester.

Craig also backed increased neighbourhood policing and closer cooperation between Greater Manchester Police, local councils and housing providers to address crime and antisocial behaviour.

Her campaign also emphasised supporting businesses, attracting investment, improving skills and ensuring that economic growth benefited communities across Greater Manchester.