Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he is “supremely confident” there will be a legacy from the £778 million of taxpayers’ money that has gone into the Commonwealth Games.
He told the Commonwealth Business Forum in Birmingham: “It’s only a few hours until the Commonwealth Games begin.
"The biggest sporting event ever in the West Midlands and you can feel the excitement here in this mighty city of Birmingham because the athletes are already here in their thousands, from 56 countries, 72 nations and territories around the world.”
Boris Johnson speaking at the Commonwealth Business Forum in Birmingham
Peter Byrne
He added: “Already you can hear the voices on some parts of the media of those who doubt that the whole thing will be worth it.
“And people say, can we afford it? Should we have done it with the pressure on the cost of living?
"Will there be a legacy from the £778 million of taxpayers money that has gone into these games?
“And so right now, I want you to know I am here to tell you that I am supremely confident that the answer to that question is yes.
"A thousand times, yes. I say so because I remember, almost exactly 10 years ago, an identical moment of nerves just before the beginning of the London 2012 games.”
Mr Johnson, who was London mayor at the time of the 2012 Summer Olympics in the city, insisted “those Games went on to be a massive global success that continues even to this day to deliver thousands of jobs, growth, regeneration across much of London and indeed beyond”.