The 2024 Greater Manchester mayoral election is due to be held on 2 May 2024 to elect the mayor of Greater Manchester. The election will take place the same day as council elections within the city region, including the election for the mayor of Salford, as well as local elections across England and Wales.
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Background
The mayor of Greater Manchester serves as the directly elected leader of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. The mayor has power over an investment directly to the combined authority from the government of £30 million a year for 30 years from 2017. The post of mayor also incorporates that of police and crime commissioner of the Greater Manchester Police. In addition to these functions, the mayor has authority over strategic housing planning, transport, adult education and skills, social care, and other matters.[2][3][4]
The first election to the position was held in 2017. The Labour candidate Andy Burnham was elected as the inaugural mayor; he was successful in his bid for re-election in 2021 with 67% of the vote in the first round.[5]
As mayor, Burnham introduced the Bee Network, a transport network involving franchising all buses in Greater Manchester, with pricing capped and integrated with trams and plans to include local trains.[6]
He also developed a "Greater Manchester Good Landlord Charter", with plans to let tenants request council inspections and more funding for enforcement.[7]
Electoral system
This election will be the first to use first-past-the-post to elect the mayor as a result of the changes made by the Elections Act 2022, with previous elections in 2017 and 2021 using the supplementary vote system. Voters will be able to vote for a single candidate, and the candidate receiving the most votes will be elected mayor.
All registered electors living in Greater Manchester aged 18 or over on 2 May 2024 will be entitled to vote in the mayoral election. Those who are temporarily away from Greater Manchester (for example, away working, on holiday, in student accommodation or in hospital) will also be entitled to vote in the mayoral election. The deadline to register to vote in the election was Tuesday 16 April 2024.
Campaign
The incumbent mayor Andy Burnham said he would never introduce a Clean Air Zone (CAZ), instead seeking funding for electric buses and taxis.[8] He said he would retain cameras that had been installed for a previously proposed CAZ to give footage to police.[9] Dan Barker, the former Conservative candidate, said he would remove the cameras.[10]
The Liberal Democrat candidate Jake Austin said he would reverse cuts to local bus services.[11]
Candidates
Labour Party
Andy Burnham has been the mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017 and before that the Member of Parliament (MP) for Leigh from 2001 to 2017.[12] There was speculation that Burnham might stand for election to become an MP so he could become a candidate in a future Labour leadership election. Burnham repeatedly stated that he would complete a full second term of the mayoralty but did not specify beyond that point.[13][14] Before becoming mayor, he had been a candidate for Labour Party leadership in 2010 and 2015.[12] After joining the Labour Party in January 2022, the former professional footballer Gary Neville was linked with a potential candidacy to become Greater Manchester mayor, which he refused to rule out.[15]
In early 2023, Burnham confirmed his intent to run for a third term as mayor.[16]
Conservative Party
On 22 March 2024, the Conservatives selected Laura Evans as their candidate after their prior candidate, Dan Barker, defected to Reform UK.[17] Evans also stood for the Conservatives in the 2021 election and previously served as a Councillor on Trafford Council for Village Ward.[1]
Green Party
On 25 March 2024, the Green Party's candidate Hannah Spencer, a councillor for Hale in Trafford since 2023, announced her selection as their candidate for Mayor.[18][19]
Liberal Democrats
On 1 March 2024, the Liberal Democrats announced that they had selected Jake Austin, a councillor for Hazel Grove in Stockport since 2023, as their candidate for mayor.[20]
Reform UK
The original Conservative candidate Dan Barker, a former Conservative Party activist from Sale who has worked as a project manager,[21][22] defected to Reform UK on 21 March 2024 and will stand as their candidate.[23]
Independent and other candidates
Nick Buckley, a charity worker who ran as the Reform UK candidate in the 2021 mayoral election, announced his intention to stand as an independent candidate. He said he wanted Bolton to secede from Greater Manchester and become administratively part of Lancashire.[24]
Don Prof Reis Abraham Halliwell Prf attempted to register as an independent candidate,[25] however his nomination was invalid as it was not subscribed as required by law.[26] He previously stood as a candidate in the Heaton Lostock and Chew Moor ward during the 2023 Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council election.[27]
George Galloway was reported as considering standing in the election.[28] He denied that he would run, instead stating his ambitions to run in 2028.[29]
Opinion polling
| Dates conducted | Pollster | Client | Sample size | Burnham Lab | Barker Reform | Buckley Ind | Evans Con | Austin Lib Dems | Spencer Green | Others | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19–24 Apr 2024 | More in Common | N/A | 2,017 | 63% | 12% | 9% | 9% | 4% | 4% | – | 51 |
Results and follow up statistics
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Jake Austin | ||||
| Reform UK | Dan Barker | ||||
| Independent | Nick Buckley | ||||
| Labour Co-op | Andy Burnham | ||||
| Conservative | Laura Evans | ||||
| Green | Hannah Spencer | ||||