Green Party candidate Geraldine Coggins has declared that the contest to become the next mayor of Greater Manchester is a two-horse race between the Greens and Reform UK, as Labour faces a collapse in support. Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, Coggins said voters face a clear choice: vote Green or risk a Reform victory.
“As someone who lives here, and this is my home, I don't want to wake up at the end of July and find we have a Reform mayor,” she said. “People are clearly abandoning Labour on a large scale. They're choosing Green, they're choosing Reform, and I think it's up to all of us to stand up against the toxic politics of Reform.”
Local elections signal Labour losses
Coggins pointed to the May local elections, where Labour lost 108 seats across Greater Manchester. Reform gained 104 seats, while the Greens increased their councillor count by 26, with 17 of those gains on Manchester City Council. She described the results as “Green wins on an unprecedented scale” and “massive wins for Reform,” with the common denominator being “overwhelming losses for Labour.”
The Green candidate acknowledged that the party came fifth in the recent Makerfield by-election, securing just 308 votes, but dismissed this as a result of minimal campaigning. “In Makerfield, we didn't [campaign hard]. We ran a very minimal campaign there because that was like 550th on our target list. We also knew that it was going to lead to this, and this is an election that we can win,” she said.
Labour leadership turmoil boosts Green chances
The Makerfield by-election was triggered when former MP Josh Simons stepped down to allow Andy Burnham to seek a return to Parliament, sparking a leadership crisis that led to Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation on June 22. Coggins believes this drama will work in her favour. “We're having this election because of the Labour leadership failure and their internal psycho drama, and I think people are quite tired of that,” she said.
Labour MP Andrew Western countered that the Greens cannot win the mayoralty, arguing that their candidate finished fifth in the last election and that the choice is between Labour and Reform. Under the Supplementary Vote system, voters pick two candidates; if no one wins over 50% in the first round, the top two proceed to a second round where second preferences are counted.
Green vision for Greater Manchester
Coggins outlined priorities including affordable housing, a world-class transport system, and revitalised high streets, though she deferred detailed policy to the party’s upcoming manifesto. She emphasised tackling the cost of living, restoring trust in the police, and placing the climate emergency at the heart of decision-making. “We need to unite and really take the fight to Reform and make sure that we have a Green mayor here at the end of July who is fighting to make this a city where people can afford to live, but where people love to live,” she said.
