Farage doesn't do detail. Employers don't pay NI for young workers so the change to employer NI is irrelevant or in fact has benefited younger people (as the gap in employer NI is now even bigger than it was).

If the profit margin of the price cap is 2.5%, how do companies offer fixes that are 13% cheaper? Are they really making an approx 10% loss on each of these deals?

If the government wants more money to go into shares, why not use the 'The Pensions (Extension of Automatic Enrolment) Act 2023' and lower qualifying earnings so pension contributions are made from the first £ of income.

I'm not sure how BBC made this error - if four hours for a mile doesn't seem right surely the 17.78 minutes is a giveaway.

Martin in Newcastle is a much better judge of a pitch than Alex Hartley

11 Championship managers were appointed in the summer, only one was given a four-year contract. If Knapper was to now sack him he would be signing his own P45.

Given the fragility of the pace bowlers in the Ashes squad I thought they would go for more experienced backups in the Lions (Stone, Cook, Pennington). What odds on Fisher playing in Sydney?

QPR abandoned their artificial pitch in 1988, this was Luton's last season on the plastic

On this day in 1990, Liverpool were top of the league with Arsenal, Spurs and Palace filling the rest of the top four. How times change.

Credit: teletextarchive.com

@kevinhowells.bsky.social another interesting interview today, one question for the ECB - 6 of the 8 Hundred sales were confirmed at the end of July, no word since on the other 2? The new owners are to 'take control' from 1st October (i.e. next Wednesday).

43 England Test players born in the 1980s. First appearance was Mohali 2001 (James Foster and Richard Dawson).

49 players born in the 1970s, last appearance was Gareth Batty in Mohali 2016.

Another vote of confidence in Bashir. Not the hill I'd be dying on but it's clearly McCullum and Stokes.

14 words too many

@kevinhowells.bsky.social On this day in 2000, Surrey used nine bowlers on the final day of the final match of the season (Saqlain and Sailsbury unused), Mark Butcher took the only five-wicket haul of his career, with Jon Batty passing the gloves to Alex Tudor to take the only wicket of his career

Ben Duckett's one match for Notts this season in which he faced 41 balls has left him totally exhausted so the County Championship must be reduced.

Forecast on Sunday is even worse

Interesting use of the word solution, would scenario not be better terminology?

Sold within a day 😲

Late date allows for the Budget to follow the October inflation figures announcement, those figures *should* be an improvement as Oct.24 10% increase in electricity/gas drops out of the annual rate to be replaced by a 2% increase this Oct.

Good luck trying to sell this #ncfc

The so called 'high bar' for VAR interventions goes out the window when goals are scored against the greedy 6.

At last year's Euros it was how to fit Bellingham, Saka, Palmer and Foden into one team. Now three of them are injured and Foden not even getting in the squad isn't worthy of a headline.

Really odd scheduling by the BBC for the Diamond League final, two hours yesterday for the six field events was overkill. Then two hours today for the other 26 events, coverage begins at 7, halfway throughway the events.

The discount vs the cap that companies can offer is increasing which clearly shows the cap is being set too high.

@kevinhowells.bsky.social after 72 matches it took to the final over of the final match to determine the groups, thank you to you and all your BBC colleagues for the great coverage over the last three weeks

@kevinhowells.bsky.social Colchester last hosted Essex in 2016, Bath last hosted Somerset in 2011

Surrey shouldn't have an issue agreeing with the Hundred franchise as Jordan Clark is with the Oval Invincibles (effectively Surrey). As you say sticking with the same squad throughout the competition might be better, Notts recalling McCann and LPW from the Hundred didn't help them much yesterday.

@kevinhowells.bsky.social you say Surrey are missing players but under the Hundred-ODC regs, Jordan Clark having not appeared in consecutive Hundred games is potentially available to Surrey and they/or the player have chosen not to be involved today.

The ECB preach on that counties need to more self-sufficient and then they proceed to reduce the chance for them to generate revenue.

That was too hard! Someone's gonna get hurt if you kick it that hard.