Jack McConnell joins Lisa Nandy’s team for ‘ambitious’ sports push

Jack McConnell has been appointed as a UK Government adviser on “soft power and major events”.

The former first minister helped bring the Commonwealth Games to Glasgow in 2014. A scaled-down version will return to the city this summer.

Now he will help the UK Government make Britain “the go-to destination for the world’s most prestigious sporting and cultural events”, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has said.

McConnell, who sits in the House of Lords, was directly appointed by UK culture secretary Lisa Nandy.

The pair have known each other for a decade and McConnell’s appointment as her ministerial adviser comes as the Starmer administration attempts to regain control of the political narrative.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said he believes Prime Minister Keir Starmer will continue in post after “10 days of introspection and infighting” which included the resignations of prominent ministers Jess Phillips and Wes Streeting.

A by-election in England looms, with Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham considered a leadership threat.

Meanwhile, Nandy’s department is eyeing a potential bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the north of England.

It has commissioned an assessment on the potential for the contests to return to England in the 2040s as part of what is said to be an “ambitious growth drive to use sports to power regeneration of towns and cities”.

The UK last staged the games in London in 2012. The government believes a return could boost the UK’s “global appeal” and increase civic pride.

The government is already backing bids to host the World Athletics and Para-Athletics Championships in 2029, as well as the 2035 Fifa Women’s World Cup.

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. I couldn’t be more pleased to announce that we’re starting the firing gun on a long overdue vote of confidence in the north.”