London mayor criticises plans for north of England bid to host Olympics

The mayor of London has criticised plans to explore a bid for the north of England to host the Olympics, saying that excluding London would be a “missed opportunity”.

Ministers have commissioned an assessment by UK Sport which could inform a bid for the international sporting event in the 2040s. If the campaign were successful, it would be the first time the Olympic Games and Paralympics were hosted in Britain since London 2012.

The London Aquatics Centre at Stratford. Using London’s existing facilities ‘would help deliver the greenest and most sustainable Games’, said the mayor’s office. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian

A spokesperson for Sadiq Khan said: “London is the sporting capital of the world and the mayor has openly expressed his ambition for the capital to be part of a future Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“Sadiq believes that a potential country-wide bid, using all the assets we have in the UK, including the publicly owned London Stadium, would deliver the very best possible Olympics.

“Using London’s existing world-class infrastructure would help deliver the greenest and most sustainable Games, as well as unlocking huge economic growth both here in London and around the country.

“Not including the capital in an Olympics bid would be a missed opportunity, and mean our country fails to unleash the full benefits of a UK-wide games.”

The strategic assessment will examine the costs, the socioeconomic benefits to the north, and the bid’s chance of success.

Rachel Reeves pointed to regeneration plans for the Elland Road stadium, home to Leeds United, as part of the agenda for the north of England. Photograph: Lee Keuneke/Every Second Media/Shutterstock

The plans were welcomed by two ministers whose constituencies are in the north: Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary and Wigan MP, and the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, the MP for Leeds West and Pudsey.

Nandy said: “London 2012 showed what the Olympics can do for our country. It inspired a generation through sport, attracted huge investment and showed the best of Britain to the world.

“But while the north of England has driven so much sporting excellence, no matter the talent we produce, the sporting moments we create, and the world-class events we attract, for too long we have been told the Olympics is simply too big and too important to be hosted in the north.

“Not any more. It’s time the Olympics came north and we showed what we can offer to the world.”

Reeves said Britain’s sporting prowess was “recognised and respected around the world”.

“It’s something we are determined to capitalise on to breathe life into our communities and build a stronger and more secure economy,” the chancellor said. “That’s why we’re throwing our full support behind bringing the Games back home which will boost our northern growth corridor. It’s also why we’re backing stadium regeneration plans, like at Elland Road, to deliver new homes, business opportunities and public spaces in Leeds and beyond.”

The opening ceremony for the London 2012 Games. ‘London 2012 showed what the Olympics can do for our country,’ said Lisa Nandy. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

The groundwork for a potential Olympics bid comes as the government has laid out a series of recent measures to support major sporting events.

This includes appointing the Labour peer Lord McConnell as a ministerial adviser on soft power and major events, given the former Scottish first minister’s experience in campaigning to take the Commonwealth Games to Glasgow in 2014.

The government also introduced a sporting events bill to parliament, aimed at making it easier to bid for major sporting events.

Boris Johnson, Khan’s predecessor, was the mayor of London during the 2012 Olympic Games.

Los Angeles will host the next summer Games in July 2028 for the third time.