McNulty's comments highlight that Government assurances over Olympic budget were incorrect

Hugh Robertson has commented on the BBC interview with Sir Roy McNulty, the acting Chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority, in which he reported to say that the work on the Olympic budget wasn't "done deeply enough at the beginning."

Hugh Robertson, Shadow Olympics Minister, said:

“Sir Roy McNulty's comments are absolutely correct and highlight, once again, that all the government's assurances to Parliament during the eight month passage of The Olympic Bill that the original budget was robust were incorrect. It is ridiculous to claim that tax and contingency, two of the largest elements of the overrun, could not have been predicted at the time of the bid.

Furthermore, Tessa Jowell's claim that the latest raid on the lottery will not harm grassroots sport because of her agreement with the Mayor to pay back some of the money from the sale of the land after The Games is laughable. She and the Mayor are the two people most responsible for the original mistakes and grassroots sport needs that investment now - not at some possible date in the future when it will be too late to benefit from the 2012 effect.”