North of England 2040? Andy Burnham backs plan for multi-city Olympics bid | North of England
The north of England is trying to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in a bid to revitalize a region “left out of the national story”.
Northern leaders have written to culture minister Lisa Nandy urging the government to support multi-city games spanning a region of 15 million people.
London mayor Sadiq Khan said last year he wanted the capital to bid for the 2040 Olympics, almost 30 years after it hosted the 2012 Games.
Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said on Sunday it “wouldn’t be fair or right” for London to host for a fourth time and that “what England needs now is an offer from the north”.
Sir Brendan Foster, former 3000 meters world record holder and founder of the Great North Run, said the games in the north were vital for “fairer distribution of major international sporting events across the country”.
He added: “Iconic sporting events such as Wimbledon, Royal Ascot, Lords Test matches and the London Marathon are rightly celebrated in the nation’s capital, but as the government funds hosting global sporting events, they must have a balanced national approach as their guiding principle.”
In a letter signed by 11 political leaders in the north, Nandy was told the northern games would be “a once-in-a-generation opportunity to accelerate regeneration, rebalance the economy and reset international perceptions of Britain”.
Mayors believe they have strong competition for 2040 after the International Olympic Committee prioritized multi-city events. They also hope Keir Starmer will reap the political benefit of the northern vote, with his party trailing in the polls by an average of 10 points over Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, which has made significant inroads in Labour’s former heartlands.
Nandy, MP for Wigan, has prioritized the delivery of cultural events across the UK, but there will be no draw on Sunday as to whether his department will back the northern bid. A spokesman said it was the British Olympic Association’s decision.
Former Olympic boxing champion Luke Campbell, Reformation England’s mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire, said: “Winning the gold medal at London 2012 is one of the proudest moments of my life. The whole country came together and it meant everything to me to represent our nation on the world stage and show that someone from Hull could go all the way.”
“Bringing the Olympics north isn’t just about sport. It’s about giving our children something to aim for, creating real opportunities and showing the world what this part of the country has to offer.”
Mayors said the north’s mix of sporting heritage – including Sheffield, home of football, where the game’s original rules were written in 1858 – and elite venues made it an ideal host region.
Steve Rotheram, mayor of the Liverpool city region, said the games in the north would be “a once-in-a-lifetime chance to bring the Olympics closer to ordinary communities who often feel left out of the national story”.
If the North is successful, political leaders will be careful to avoid the complex and costly legacy of the London Games. The 2012 Olympics cost around £8.8 billion (three times the original budget of £2.4 billion) and accelerated the gentrification of neighbourhoods.
Research published in 2024 explained We consider the London Games to be a “cautionary tale” for local communities.
