Government 'will back World Cup bid'

Richard Caborn: positive

14 April 2012

Sports minister Richard Caborn appeared to confirm on Thursday that the Government will back a bid to hold the 2018 World Cup in England.

A Whitehall feasibility study is still being carried out into whether an attempt to secure the competition should be launched.

But Caborn said Chancellor Gordon Brown - widely expected to take over as prime minister when Tony Blair steps down - was "very, very keen" on the idea when they met senior football figures yesterday.

Pressed on whether the Government will support a bid, Caborn told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Absolutely. I have no doubt about that."

UEFA president Lennart Johansson, who was also present at the meeting, said Mr Brown expressed the view that a bid "would be a good idea for England and he was for it".

Johansson told PM-in-waiting Brown there was an unwritten agreement between FIFA and UEFA that the World Cup is in Europe every third event, and that, apart from Russia, England are the major nation who have waited longest to host it.

The Chancellor has previously indicated that bringing the competition to England would be a "tremendous boost" for the country.