The Green Party believes it can win the Greater Manchester mayoral by-election, framing the contest as a clear choice between a message of “hope and unity” and what it describes as the “toxic divisive politics” of Reform UK.
The by-election, triggered by the resignation of Andy Burnham after his election as MP for Makerfield, will be held on 30 July 2026. It is the first strategic authority mayoral by-election in the United Kingdom and is expected to be the biggest by-election ever held in Britain, with the winner serving until the next scheduled vote in May 2028.
Geraldine Coggins, the Green candidate, is a councillor for Altrincham in Trafford, where she has served since 2018 and leads the Green group. Originally from Ireland, she is a published academic with a background in leadership, public finance and strategic decision-making. Her campaign is centred on improving transport and housing, with pledges to push for affordable social and council housing, lobby the national government for rent controls, and expand transport links across all boroughs rather than focusing only on the city centre.
Greens sense a shift in voter sentiment
Coggins believes the political landscape has changed markedly since the last mayoral election in 2024, when the Green candidate Hannah Spencer finished fifth with 6.9% of the vote. She pointed to the Gorton and Denton by-election, where Hannah Spencer secured a parliamentary seat for the party, as evidence that voters now recognise the Greens can win. “We know that things have changed, the people now know the Greens can win,” she told the Press Association.
The party sees this election as a straight race against Reform UK. In the May 2026 local elections, Reform UK secured 30.7% of the vote in Greater Manchester, compared to Labour’s 23.6% and the Greens’ 19.1%. Labour has reportedly been pitching the contest as a two-horse race between themselves and Reform, but Coggins described Labour’s recent local election setbacks as “existential”.
Hope and unity versus toxic divisive politics
Central to the Green campaign is the contrast Coggins draws between her party’s vision and Reform UK’s platform. Reform UK is a right-wing populist and far-right party that campaigns on reducing taxation, limiting immigration, opposing net-zero emissions policies, and cutting public spending. It advocates for “stopping the boats”, leaving the European Convention on Human Rights, and ending what it calls “woke” ideology in public institutions. Nigel Farage has been its leader since June 2024.
The Greens, by contrast, are built on principles of ecological wisdom, social justice, grassroots democracy and nonviolence. Their platform includes achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2030, introducing a Universal Basic Income, nationalising public services, and supporting electoral reform. Coggins says her campaign is about “people and planet over profits”, and she has framed the election as “a straight race between our green message of hope and unity and the toxic divisive politics of Reform”.
The competition is complicated by the expected candidacy of Restore Britain, a spin-off from Reform UK. Former Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe has indicated his party will stand a candidate, potentially splitting the Reform vote. The Conservatives have not yet confirmed their candidate; Laura Evans stood for them in 2024. The Liberal Democrats are rumoured to be fielding Richard Kilpatrick, while Jake Austin was their candidate last time. Labour is expected to nominate Bev Craig, leader of Manchester Council, after Salford mayor Paul Dennett confirmed he would not stand.
A voting message under a new system
The by-election will use the Supplementary Vote system, under which voters select a first and second preference. If no candidate reaches 50% of first-preference votes, the top two proceed to a second round. This system was used for Greater Manchester mayoral elections before the 2024 contest, which switched to first-past-the-post. Coggins urged voters to think carefully about their choices: “It’s really important that people know in this election this is a straight race between our green message of hope and unity and the toxic divisive politics of Reform, so you can vote green with your head and your heart.”
