Green Party names Trafford councillor as candidate for Greater Manchester mayor

The Green Party has named Trafford councillor Hannah Spencer as its candidate for the Greater Manchester mayoral election in May. The Hale ward councillor will contest the election against Labour's Andy Burnham, who is hoping to be elected for a third term.

She is the second woman to be selected to stand in the race after the Conservatives picked former Trafford councillor Laura Evans to stand against Mr Burnham again. It came after Dan Barker, who the Tories selected in December, dramatically defected to Reform UK.

Nick Buckley, who stood for Nigel Farage's Reform UK at the last election in 2021, will be standing as an independent this time while Jake Austin, who stood for Salford mayor that year, will be the Lib Dem candidate. Workers Party of Britain leader George Galloway said he was considering running for Greater Manchester mayor but he has since suggested he will not stand at the election on May 2.

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Announcing her candidacy for mayor, Coun Spencer said: "I have lived and worked in Greater Manchester for all of my life and I know how great it has the potential to be. The Green Party offers a credible alternative to the same old of the other parties, and a fairer future and a better Greater Manchester are within reach.

“I will not take for granted the trust of anyone who chooses to vote for me in May. It is an honour and a privilege that has to be earned, and I hope to show everyone in Greater Manchester that the Green Party can be their home."

Coun Spencer was elected to Trafford council in May 2023, representing Hale ward as one of Trafford’s six Green Party councillors. As a plumber who works on housing retrofit projects, the Greens say that she