Labour rushes through 'fix' to prospective Greater Manchester mayor contest if Burnham becomes an MP - by switching to electoral system that helps tactical voting

By DAVID WILCOCK, DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 09:44, 11 June 2026 | Updated: 09:54, 11 June 2026 Labour is rushing through changes to the way mayors are elected before the expected contest to replace Andy Burnham in Greater Manchester. Ministers have admitted they are deliberately acting to change the system with weeks to go before a prospective vote on July 30 in mind, despite authorities questioning whether it is fair play. Elected mayors are currently chosen using the same first past the post (FPTP) system that is used in Westminster elections, where the candidate with the most votes wins, even if they do not get a majority of overall votes cast. But under powers in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026, which came into force in April, the elections will revert to the original supplementary vote system (SV). This gives voters the option of voting for a second candidate. If in the first round of votes no candidate gets at least 50 per cent of the vote, the top two go into a play-off, where these second choice votes count. It gives greater scope for tactical voting to have an impact, with those unwilling to vote Labour for their first choice - Green voters, for example -  able to put them as a second choice and keep out right-wing parties like the Conservatives and Reform. In a statement quietly released last month, Democracy Minister Samantha Dixon said that the powers would be brought in by June 19 because 'the Government is conscious that there is now a possible scenario in which a mayoral election may need to be held in Greater Manchester in the coming months.' Mr Burnham is currently the favourite to win next week's Makerfield by-election and return to Westminster, which would necessitate him quitting as Greater Manchester mayor. But the Commons Library, an authority on electoral procedure, questioned whether changing the voting system now was the right thing to do. Mr Burnham is currently the favourite to win next week's Makerfield by-election and return to Westminster, which would necessitate him quitting as Greater Manchester mayor Ministers have admitted they are deliberately acting to change the system with weeks to go before a prospective vote on July 30 in mind, despite authorities questioning whether it is fair play In a briefing document for MPs on the Makerfield by-election that referenced Ms Dixon's statement it noted: 'Bringing the supplementary vote system into force in that timescale would go against the ‘'Gould principle'’.  'This is a convention that changes to electoral law and practice should not impact any elections for six months after the change has been introduced. 'This convention has not always been observed rigidly.' The Gould principle stemmed from a review of local government elections in 2007 by Ron Gould, the former assistant chief electoral officer of Canada.  He recommended following other countries where a six-month break is written into law, but that has not been done.  The Electoral Reform Society says SV 'means politicians need a wider base of support than First Past the Post, which saw a mayor elected on just a quarter of the vote during its disastrous imposition on mayoral contests'. 'This means candidates can’t just focus on the needs of their core electorate.' it added. 'Because of this, the Supplementary Vote encourages a more positive style of campaigning as candidates try to win the second preferences of voters outside their usual support base.' It noted: 'The most logical thing to do is to cast your first choice for your genuine favourite candidate, and your second choice for your preferred candidate out of the two that you think will reach the second round.' Mr Burnham has fuelled alarm over another Labour spending splurge as he vowed compensation for so-called 'Waspi' women and hinted at student loans relief. The Greater Manchester mayor made two potentially huge commitments at hustings for the Makerfield by-election last night. The interventions come with markets already nervous about a lurch to the Left as Keir Starmer's grip on power falters. Debt servicing costs have been rising and Rachel Reeves has already pushed the tax burden towards a record high, while a clamour is growing for more investment in the country's defence.   Mr Burnham - set to challenge the PM if he wins the Commons contest next Thursday - said he was 'uncomfortable' that Labour had U-turned after supporting the Waspi campaign. Sir Keir was among a host of senior figures who backed compensation over increases in the state pension age when in Opposition. But in office the premier has rejected demands for compensation from the Women Against State Pension Inequality group, insisting the Government cannot afford the estimated £10billion cost. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. 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