Now Reading: Manchester votes for mayor to replace new PM Burnham
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Manchester votes for mayor to replace new PM Burnham
Voters in Greater Manchester are electing a new mayor on Thursday to replace Andy Burnham, who quit the post to become Prime Minister. Polling stations opened at 7 am and close at…
The Story in Brief
Voters in Greater Manchester are electing a new mayor on Thursday to replace Andy Burnham, who quit the post to become Prime Minister. Polling stations opened at 7 am and close at 10 pm, with counting from Friday. Burnham served as mayor for nine years until winning a special parliamentary election last month, prompting then-PM Keir Starmer to resign. Labour candidate Bev Craig, leader of Manchester City Council, faces six rivals including Reform UK’s Sian Astley and a Green Party that won a February by-election here. The vote is seen as a test of Labour’s flagging popularity under Burnham’s new leadership.
The Indian Opinion
The narrative that Burnham’s rise is a Labour revival masks a deeper rot. Labour lost a by-election here to the Greens and bled votes to Reform UK in May. Even in his stronghold, the party faces real fragmentation. Watch the margin of Craig’s win, if any. A narrow victory will not silence questions about whether Labour is losing its working-class base for good.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
