Andy Burnham elected mayor of Greater Manchester

Labour’s former health secretary wins 63% of vote to acquire substantial powers of region’s first directly elected mayorAndy Burnham has won a decisive victory to become the first directly elected mayor of Greater Manchester in an election his friends and opponents said was won on the strength of his personal name recognition.The 47-year-old quit his parliamentary seat in Leigh, Wigan, in order to win the inaugural ballot with 63% of the vote, taking 359,352 votes to secure victory i