YORKSHIRE should bid to stage the Commonwealth Games in 2026, claims Keighley's would-be Labour MP.

John Grogan said the success of the Tour de France Grand Depart through the county last month – and the acclaim surrounding the Games in Glasgow – meant the time would be right to bring the Commonwealth spectacle to Yorkshire.

He added that athletes from the county had won a haul of over 40 medals in Glasgow, including 13 golds, placing them seventh in the overall table.

The next Commonwealth Games, in 2018, are on Australia's Gold Coast and the right to host the 2022 event will be contested between Durban in South Africa and Edmonton, Canada.

Mr Grogan, Labour's prospective parliamentary candidate for Keighley, said: "What better way to follow-up the success of le Grand Depart than by making a bid to stage the Commonwealth Games?

"By 2026 it will be nearly 25 years since the the staging of the Manchester Games and the time will be right.

" A Yorkshire rather than a city bid would allow the different venues and facilities in the county, such as Elland Road and the Ponds Forge swimming pool in Sheffield, to be fully utilised and keep down costs.

"It would showcase the county to the world for 10 days. The success of Glasgow 2014 has given the Commonwealth Games a future, and Yorkshire could be part of that future."