Craig won 47% of first preferences, well above what polling had predicted, though not quite enough to avoid a run-off against the second-placed Reform, which Labour also won handily.

Nearly 60% of those who cast a ballot backed Labour in the first or second round, a remarkable recovery in a city-region where the party had collapsed just months earlier in local elections.

Labour's performance does not look quite so impressive if we zoom out a bit further. The party's first preference share was down 16 points on Andy Burnham's 2024 win (though this was under a different electoral system).

Labour never dropped below 60% on first preferences under Burnham. Though Bev Craig won comfortably, this is now a more competitive city-region.

Runners-up Reform will be pleased to have pushed Labour into a second round, but disappointed not to have run the winners closer.

An aggregate vote share of 21% on first preferences, and under 30% with second preferences added, will have been at the bottom end of the party's expectations.

Reform had topped the poll across Greater Manchester in May's local elections, sweeping dozens of councillors out of office. Though this is by a large margin Reform's strongest ever performance in a Greater Manchester mayoral election, it is only their fifth best performance in all mayoral elections, behind all four of last May's contests.

After over a year ahead in the national polls, they will have hoped for better.

But there were some consolations for Reform, and concerns for Labour, in the borough-by-borough results.

Nigel Farage's party secured over 25% of the vote in five of GM's outer boroughs, and hit 30% in Wigan, Andy Burnham's home borough. That could herald further gains for Reform in next May's local elections, when the party will hope to wrest some of these boroughs out of Labour control.

The Greens will also be disappointed. Less than six months after their by-election triumph in Gorton and Denton, they have fallen back into a distant third place with just over 12% of the first preference vote. This is only their sixth best performance in a mayoral election, weaker than results achieved in the West of England, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire when the party was less popular in national polling.

One consolation for the Greens will be their second-place finish with 24% in Manchester itself - the party will still hope to cause Bev Craig some headaches in her home borough in local elections next year.

This was a disastrous night for the Conservatives, who had come second in all three previous Mayoral races but dropped to fifth place in this one, winning less than 8% of the first preference vote.

The Liberal Democrats also had a night to forget, winning under 3% of first preferences, comfortably their worst ever showing in the four mayoral contests to date.

The biggest story from the trailing pack was instead Restore Britain, the party founded by former Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe in February.

Restore came in fourth place overall, beating the Conservatives and winning nearly 9% of first preferences, a remarkable showing for a brand-new party.

Restore campaigned as a more uncompromising, hardline version of Reform, and their gains here, as in Makerfield last month, may well have come at Reform's expense.

Restore won over 12% in Oldham, Rochdale and Tameside, all boroughs which featured strong Reform performances in May.

The largest by-election in British history did not, in the end, excite Greater Manchester's electors.

Turnout across Greater Manchester was a shade over 25%, down nearly seven points on the 2024 figure. This was the lowest figure recorded in GM's four contests, and the third lowest for any combined authority mayoral election.

An uncompetitive contest held in the school and university summer holiday season was always going to struggle to engage voters. But with devolution now promoted as a route to political renewal, it will concern the new prime minister that so many in Greater Manchester have greeted the prospect of choosing his replacement with a yawn of indifference.

The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open-source information. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.

The company co-founded by Nirmal Purja - Elite Exped - has confirmed that the former British Army and Royal Marines soldier has died in Pakistan.

Purja, known as Nims, was leading a 10-strong team on the 8,051m Broad Peak in the north of the country when the avalanche struck at around midday on Thursday.

None of the group survived, the Alpine Club of Pakistan confirmed on Saturday.

In a post shared on Instagram, Elite Exped said: "Today, it is with profound sadness and immense heartbreak that we confirm that Nirmal 'Nimsdai' Purja, tragically lost his life following the avalanche on Broad Peak. We have also received confirmation that other members of this expedition sadly did not survive.

"Today, we mourn not only Nims, but every life lost in this tragedy, including his trusted climbing partners and guides, Pur Bahadur Gurung (Yukta) and Nima Sherpa.

"Our deepest thoughts, prayers and heartfelt condolences are with their families, friends and loved ones. No words can erase the pain of this unimaginable loss, and we ask that everyone respects their privacy as they grieve."

Broad Peak, in the Karakoram range, is the world's 12th highest mountain.

Rescuers had launched a search for the missing climbers and initially found the bodies of four - identifying two of them as Nadhira Al Harthy from Oman, and Pur Bahadur Gurung "Yukta" from Nepal.

A Netflix star who defied the so-called 'death zone'

Purja, 43, was a British citizen with an MBE, and one of the world's most renowned climbers.

He scaled the world's 14 highest peaks in just six months in 2019, holding a record for the fastest climb until Norwegian climber Kristin Harila beat him four years later.

His remarkable feat was the focus of a popular Netflix documentary, 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible, which showed him powering to the top of the mountains, each with peaks in the so-called "death zone", starting with Annapurna on April 23 2019 and taking in Everest in May and K2 in July.

Purja also featured in the Disney+ documentary Finding Michael, after he was enlisted by the former Made in Chelsea star Spencer Matthews to help recover the body of his brother Michael, the youngest Briton to summit Everest, who disappeared on the mountain in 1999.

Matthews shared a photo with the mountaineer on Instagram, calling the news from Broad Peak "heartbreaking".

The 37-year-old reality star wrote: "The mountains inspire us with their beauty but they also demand immense respect.

"Every person who ventures into that world understands the risks, yet they go anyway, driven by curiosity, purpose, passion, and a deep love for the places few will ever experience."

He went on: "The news from Broad Peak is heartbreaking. So many lives, families, friends and teammates now facing unimaginable loss.

"Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy. May those who have been lost be remembered not only for how they died, but for how they lived, the courage they showed, and the lives they touched. Rest in peace. To those not yet found, we pray for a miracle."

An 'unstoppable spirit' recognised by the late Queen

British adventurer Bear Grylls also paid tribute to Purja, writing on Instagram: "Heartbreaking news for so many climbers around the world who had a relationship with this remarkable and unique man. We will never forget you Nims and your unstoppable spirit."

Purja, who was born in Nepal, was in the military for 16 years. His website says he was the first Gurkha to join the SBS (Special Boat Service), part of the British special forces.

In 2016, he broke mountaineering conventions to rescue a climber left in the "Everest death zone", bringing her to safety alone.

He was awarded an MBE by the late Queen in 2018 for his achievement in extreme high-altitude mountaineering, and also held 18 Guinness World Records for his mountaineering feats.

Tarona Taafaki was given a bye to the last four of the women's 75kg division after only five fighters entered the competition.

She lost to India's Lovlina Borgohain in the semi-final in Glasgow on Friday, losing every round on all three of the judges' cards.

But, under Commonwealth Games rules, every semi-finalist boxer receives a bronze medal, meaning that Taafaki, 20, had made history.

Speaking after the medal was confirmed, she said she was "honoured to represent my small nation" and hopes her success will inspire other Tuvaluans.

She said people have always asked her where she's from, to which she replies: "I say I'm Tuvaluan and they don't even know where it is - if it's a Pacific country or an African country".

Taafaki is one of eight siblings, all of whom box, including her brother Pasoni, who also competed in Glasgow, losing his opening bout at 70kg earlier this week.

She said she has paved the way for them, adding "they can get gold, when I didn't get it".

Her coach and father, Badi Taafaki, said the people of Tuvalu will celebrate the medal and use it to highlight a climate change emergency.

He said the medal "means everything" to the tiny island nation - which at 10 square miles is the fourth-smallest country in the world.

"We're one of the smallest nations in the world, so a medal like this is hugely significant. We have worked so hard to get here. For me as a coach, it's a stepping stone."

The Taafaki children are currently based in New Zealand, in order to take advantage of better facilities.

"When I was growing up, boxing barely existed in Tuvalu," said Badi. "We didn't have gloves, so we were forced to fight bare-knuckle, and hit bags filled with sand."

Athletes on the island famously train on the airport runway, the most stable land mass on an island increasingly threatened by rising sea levels.

Read more:
Pressure mounts on FIFA boss Infantino - latest
Famous mountaineer dies in avalanche
Charges against Olympian dropped

Climate experts predict half of the nation's capital, Funafuti, could be submerged by 2050.

Mr Taafaki said that when a plane comes in, "everyone moves aside. As soon as it leaves, we go back on the tarmac, because there is nowhere else to train".

Climate change is "very real for us", he added.

"The coastal erosion is unbelievable, and the countdown is now measured in years, not decades. Some islands have lost half their land," he said.

Taafaki is not the first boxer to win a Commonwealth Games medal without winning a fight.

Australia's Taylah Robertson picked up a bronze in the women's flyweight category on the Gold Coast in 2018 despite losing her first bout to England's Lisa Whiteside.

Ministers backed the landmark policy on Saturday, just a day after the nation's internet ​regulator found that more than eight in ten Australian teenagers were still using social media.

The ban came into effect in December ​due to concerns about the impact of social media on the mental and physical health of children.

The ban has drawn ​criticism from social media companies, mostly based in ⁠America.

Australia's legislation means tech companies now have a legal duty to stop under-16s using their platforms at scale.

If they fail to do so, they could face fines of up to $49.5m (£25m).

Confronted with the regulator's findings, ⁠Andrew Leigh, assistant minister for productivity, competition, charities and treasury, argued the ban had already reshaped the ‌national debate.

He said the ban has been "an important game changer in the conversation among parents", according to an official transcript.

He went on: "We've ‌had millions of accounts shut down. We never expected that this would have 100% compliance. We don't get 100% compliance out of minimum drinking age ⁠laws, but it's still appropriate that we have that ​law on the books."

Despite Mr Leigh's confidence, the eSafety study shows the scale of the challenge ‌confronting the landmark policy.

It found that children aged 10 ​to 15 were using social media just as frequently in March ⁠as they had before the ban came into force on 10 December, while parental awareness of their online habits had actually declined.

The findings ⁠broadly matched snapshot data eSafety published in ​March, three months before the centre-left Labor government unveiled plans ​for tougher enforcement, including doubling the maximum penalty it can impose on tech firms that fail to ‌uphold the ban.

Australia's policy is being closely watched abroad. In the UK, ministers have announced plans for a similar ban on social media for under-16s, with the new restrictions expected to be introduced in 2027.

Stephen Grzyb escaped on foot as he arrived at Liverpool Magistrates' Court at around 10am on Saturday, Merseyside Police said.

The 22-year-old, of Princess Drive, Liverpool, had been brought to the city-centre court from a police custody suite by prisoner transport contractor GEOAmey.

Grzyb who was charged with a domestic-related burglary, fled down Red Cross Street towards The Strand, which runs alongside the River Mersey, the force said.

He is described as white, with short, dark hair and was last seen wearing a navy blue T-shirt and shorts.

Inspector Bethan Hannon said officers are making "extensive inquiries" to find him while patrols have also been sent to the home of the alleged victim in the case.

Publishing a picture of the suspect, the inspector said: "We understand the concern this incident will cause, and it is vital the public can see Grzyb's face so they can report any sightings and help us bring him back into custody as soon as possible.

"If you have heard from him or know where he is, please do the right thing and come forward.

"Assisting him in any way will bring police to your own door, so it is not an association worth keeping.".

Read more:
Police hunt drug dealer who escaped prison
Escaped prisoner rearrested

She said foot patrols are searching for Grzyb and "CCTV enquiries [are] being made right across the city centre so that we can return him to custody".