There’s a wonderful buzz around Glasgow at the moment. The city is awash with the colours of flags from all over the world. Thousands of athletes, and thousands more visitors, are enjoying a warm welcome in the city for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Let’s rewind a moment and remember how we got here. Just over 18 months ago, the Games were in trouble. The original host pulled out and the organisers asked if we could step in.
That in itself should be seen as a massive vote of confidence in this city. In recent years, Glasgow has developed a reputation for being a truly world-class destination for hosting major international events – not least, of course, the fantastic 2014 Commonwealth Games.
If we had not stepped in this time, the games would not be happening – and thank goodness we did. Right now, Glasgow is being showcased to a global audience of hundreds of millions of people.
The visitors are giving a huge boost to local businesses and jobs, and we expect to see around £150m in economic benefit. These are the hard economic numbers, but it is the sport itself that really counts.
It’s great to see so many Scottish athletes get the chance to compete at the highest level, right on their doorstep. When Team Scotland entered the opening ceremony on Thursday night, the cheer almost took the roof off the Hydro. And I’m very pleased that the 2026 Games sees the largest Para sport medal programme in the Games’ history.
Sport is key to improving lives for young people – their self-confidence, their health and their wellbeing. That’s why we’re investing £20million in a summer of sport – delivering a nationwide programme of free and low-cost sporting activities, which will bring lasting benefits.
All the hard work by Glaswegians to get their city ready is now paying off. The proof of that is in the smiles on the faces of our thousands of visitors. It’s been a fantastic summer of sport in Scotland so far, but it doesn’t end there.
Many more of the world’s biggest sporting events are on their way here – the Tour de France Grand Depart next summer, the Open at St Andrews and co-hosting football’s Euros in 2028. I want to thank everyone involved in getting these Games organised – Glasgow, you have been magnificent.
Meeting so many people from overseas over the last few days is a reminder to me of the warmth and admiration that people have for Scotland around the world. It’s been a tough few years for a lot of people but we should all try to see ourselves as others see us.
I was pleased to meet with the new Prime Minister Andy Burnham in Glasgow last week. He is the first Prime Minister to acknowledge that Westminster has failed Scotland. The test now is what he does about it.
If he is serious about moving power out of Westminster, he will find a willing partner in me. I want to see key powers over the economy and energy come to the Scottish Parliament as soon as possible – powers which will help us raise living standards and lower energy bills.
But the Prime Minister cannot unilaterally decide on the limits to this process. Whether he agrees with it or not, Scotland is on a trajectory towards independence. In most opinion polls, independence is now their preferred option, and they have just elected the largest pro-independence majority in the history of the Scottish Parliament.
There are now first ministers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all committed to independence from Westminster. I’m pretty sure that if England had its own parliament then they would vote for a pro-independence First Minister too.
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I’m committed to building a modern and equal partnership with the people living across these islands – and that’s what independence allows us to build.
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