Bev Craig succeeds Andy Burnham as Greater Manchester's mayor, but what do we know about her?

Bev Craig will succeed UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham as Greater Manchester's mayor after winning Thursday's by-election. The Labour candidate claimed victory after securing 309,525 votes over Reform's Sian Astley who won 157,178. Burnham stood down after winning the Makerfield by-election in June to return to the House of Commons. He subsequently became prime minister on 20 July. Will she closely follow her predecessor's agenda or does she have different priorities for a city region which consists of 10 boroughs and is home to more than two million people? Having grown up on a council estate in Belfast, Craig moved to Manchester in 2003 at the age of 18 to study politics and modern history at the University of Manchester. After graduating, she began her career in local government. She went on to work in higher education and then at a national trade union, leading on social care. Craig was first elected as a councillor for the Burnage ward on Manchester City Council in 2011. She was executive member for adult social care and health throughout the Covid-19 global pandemic, before becoming deputy council leader in 2021.