Sian Astley left before the new statesman hustings began in Manchester, and Reform did not take part in the debate. The other candidates stayed in place, giving voters in Greater Manchester a direct look at the race to replace Andy Burnham.
Geraldine Coggins represented the Green Party. Bev Craig spoke for Labour, Richard Kilpatrick for the Lib Dems, and Phil Eckersley for the Tories.
Manchester hustings without Reform
The crowd reacted to Astley’s empty chair by shouting “chicken” and “shame”. The hustings was organised by the Mill, and it brought the main contenders into the same room while one party’s candidate walked out before taking part.
Kilpatrick opened with a line that fit the mood of the evening: “We can all agree that it’s a lovely skyline,” he said. Behind that civility sat a sharper political test, with candidates under pressure to explain how growth reaches beyond central Manchester.
Bolton and Salford wages
That question has a hard edge. During most of Burnham’s time as mayor, Greater Manchester’s economy grew at about twice the rate of the UK in general, but real wages in Bolton and Salford are basically unchanged since 2008.
Real wages in central Manchester have grown faster than in any other major UK city, which leaves the next mayor with a split picture rather than a single regional success story. The debate over rough sleeping, childcare costs, housing and buses ran through that divide, because the candidates were not just selling the idea of growth; they were being asked how to spread it.
No 10 North
Burnham plans to run the country from No 10 North for one day a week, and the mayoral election is now set against that wider ambition for the region. Astley’s earlier proposal about “illegal criminals, rapists and economic chancers” had already drawn attention, but her exit before the hustings meant voters did not get to hear her answer the same questions as the others.
For voters in Greater Manchester, the practical takeaway is simple: the main candidates did face one another on the issues that will shape the next mayor’s job, but Reform’s chair was empty when it mattered. The larger issue still hangs over the contest — what specific policies will move growth from Manchester to Bolton and Salford, instead of leaving the gap in place.
