Bev Craig

Cllr Bev Craig OBE
Official portrait, 2025
Mayor-elect of Greater Manchester
Assuming office 3 August 2026
Deputy	Paul Dennett
Succeeding	Andy Burnham
Leader of Manchester City Council
Outgoing
Assumed office 1 December 2021
Preceded by	Sir Richard Leese
Member of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority for Economy, Business and Inclusive Growth
Outgoing
Assumed office December 2021
Preceded by	Sir Richard Leese
Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council
In office 19 May 2021 – 1 December 2021 Serving with Luthfur Rahman
Member of Manchester City Council for Burnage
Incumbent
Assumed office 5 May 2011 Serving with Azra Ali and Murtaza Iqbal
Preceded by	John Cameron
Majority	2,615
Personal details
Born	Beverley Anne Craig (1985-01-27) 27 January 1985 Belfast, Northern Ireland
Party	Labour Co-op
Education	University of Manchester University of Warwick

Beverley Anne Craig OBE (born 27 January 1985) is a British Labour Co-op politician who is the mayor-elect of Greater Manchester. She was elected on 30 July 2026, defeating Reform UK candidate Sian Astley in the final round of the 2026 Greater Manchester mayoral by-election.

Craig has served as Leader of Manchester City Council since December 2021 and has represented Burnage as a councillor since 2011. She became 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.

As council leader, Craig is a member of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and holds its Economy, Business and Inclusive Growth portfolio. She was also a founding signatory of Open Labour, an organisation associated with the soft left of the Labour Party.

Early life and education

Craig was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 27 January 1985. She grew up on a council estate outside Belfast and moved to Manchester in 2003 to attend the University of Manchester.

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".

Craig graduated from the University of Manchester in 2007 with a degree in politics and modern history. While working full-time, she later gained a postgraduate qualification in local government management from Warwick Business School and a Master of Arts degree in public policy and governance from the University of Manchester.

Before entering senior political office, Craig worked in local government, higher education and the trade union movement, including for the public-service trade union UNISON.

Political career

Manchester City Council

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.

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.

Following the 2021 local elections, Craig was elected Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council on 19 May 2021, serving alongside Luthfur Rahman. Her election made her the council's first openly gay deputy leader, while Rahman became its first deputy leader of Bangladeshi heritage.

Leader of Manchester City Council

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.

As council leader, Craig became Manchester's representative on the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. She was given responsibility for the Economy, Business and Inclusive Growth portfolio, covering areas including employment, business support, investment and regional economic development.

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

Main article: 2026 Greater Manchester mayoral by-election

Following Andy Burnham's resignation 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.

Craig was declared elected on 31 July after receiving 66.3 per cent of the final-round vote, compared with 33.7 per cent for Astley. The result made Craig the first woman elected Mayor of Greater Manchester and continued Labour's uninterrupted control of the office since the mayoralty was established in 2017. Turnout was approximately 25 per cent.

Craig was declared elected but is required to complete the formal declaration of acceptance of office before acting as mayor.

Political positions

Craig was a founding member and interim co-chair of Open Labour. In a 2017 statement, she described the organisation as an "unashamedly left wing voice" focused on making Labour credible and capable of governing locally, regionally and nationally.

During the 2026 mayoral campaign, Craig placed the cost of living, public transport, housing, policing and economic growth among her main priorities. She supported maintaining affordable public-transport fares and expanding the Bee Network.

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.

Personal life

Craig is a lesbian and has described herself as "one of the most visible lesbians in politics". She has spoken publicly about comments directed at her appearance and sexuality during her political career.