Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Mims Davies and Andrew Rosindell

Thursday 31st January 2019 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Rosindell (Romford) (Con)]

8. What steps his Department is taking to encourage more international sport to be played in the UK.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Mims Davies)]

My Department works closely with UK Sport and national sports governing bodies, as well as with local, regional and devolved partners, to ensure that the UK successfully bids for and stages a range of the world’s largest sporting events. We have secured over 100 major international sports events since 2012, and this will be an exciting summer, which will include the cricket world cup, the cycling road world championships and the netball world cup. Of course, we are looking forward to UEFA 2020, and not far off is the rugby league world cup in 2021.

--- Later in debate ---

[Andrew Rosindell]

Now that the FIFA bidding process is much more transparent, has the Minister considered the possibility of holding the 2030 World cup in England or in the United Kingdom, involving all the home nations of our nation?

[Mims Davies]

As the Prime Minister said last year, the UK Government would support a bid to host the 2030 FIFA World cup. I welcome that transparency and the football associations are free to decide whether to pursue that opportunity. The English FA is already working with the FAs of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland to explore the feasibility of such a joint bid.