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A £975m deal to transform the finances of English cricket risks facing further demands for revision over proposals including one allowing the sport’s governing body to cancel The Hundred tournament in seven years time.

Sky News has obtained a revised document sent this weekend by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to prospective investors in the eight Hundred franchises – who include some of the world’s most powerful technology company executives.

The document outlines a series of changes to the ECB’s original proposals, in an attempt to persuade the competition’s new shareholders – who have collectively agreed to stump up £520m for their team stakes – to sign binding contracts within weeks.

In recent weeks, the ECB has come under pressure from many of the investors to revise proposals relating to media and sponsorship rights, future expansion of The Hundred, and governance of the tournament.

The sale of the ECB’s 49% stakes in the eight Hundred teams, including Trent Rockets and Oval Invincibles, was hailed as a landmark moment for the sport, paving the way for a vast injection of cash into English cricket at county and grassroots level.

However, one senior cricket insider cast doubt on the ECB’s timetable for signing binding agreements, scheduled for 29 April, amid continuing dissatisfaction from some stakeholders.

Another sticking point for the investors may be the inclusion of a clause that the ECB has the right to unilaterally terminate the Hundred competition after seven years.

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“What happens in year eight?”, said one on Sunday.

“These investors have agreed to pay hundreds of millions of pounds with no guarantee of terminal value.”

Among the new backers of The Hundred – which is broadcast by Sky Sports, which shares a parent company with Sky News – are the Chelsea FC co-owner Todd Boehly, the billionaire Indian Ambani family and a group of tech executives including the chief executives of Google and Microsoft.

According to the document, the existing Hundred committee will be scrapped by a new body, The Hundred Board (HB), on which the ECB would cede control and hold just a third of the overall voting rights.

The HB would consist of 20 members, with four from the ECB and two from each team – but with the ECB members each carrying double voting rights.

“The HB Agreement now protects teams from future changes, meaning [the] ECB can no longer unilaterally amend the decision-making and other powers of the HB.

“Instead, any variation to the HB Agreement will require approval from a majority of investor members of the HB, two-thirds of all members of the HB, and the ECB board,” the document said.

One of the ECB’s board members will become chair of the HB, according to the document, while the governing body will also appoint the Hundred’s managing director on a minimum five-year contract.

A source close to one of the new investors questioned that arrangement on Sunday, arguing that such an arrangement risked “embedding failure” in the event of unhappiness at the competition’s administration.

The document also sets out several matters, including UK media rights arrangements for the period after 2029, which would be subject to so-called “triple trigger voting” requiring an “affirmative vote from a majority of Investor Members of the HB, two-thirds of all members of the HB and the ECB board”.

Also included on the triple-trigger list are: changes to league expansion criteria; the distribution of league expansion proceeds to ECB and The Hundred stakeholders; Material increases in payments from The Hundred and its teams to hosts and the broader ECB county ecosystem; and changes to the HB Agreement, or changes to the Framework Agreement that materially adversely affect teams.

“For the 2029 [media rights] cycle, the default position is the UK media rights will be sold on a bundled basis, with a floor valuation of £51m per year for The Hundred,” the document said.

“For each subsequent cycle, the default shifts to an unbundled sale of rights between The Hundred and the ECB’s broader UK media right package.

“For the 2029 cycle, ECB will request that UK rights bidders provide an itemized pricing allocation for The Hundred and non-Hundred rights to provide transparency on value of The Hundred.”

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The ECB document said it would only permit expansion of The Hundred in 2029 or later, and that it could only admit teams which have a purpose-built permanent stadium that does not host another franchise.

A revenue formula to protect distribution to existing teams would also be established, while new teams would be required to demonstrate that “they unlock a new fan base and complementary ticket sales”.

According to the document, the ECB has “developed a revised set of termination events that protects the ECB and other teams in extreme scenarios, also providing further protection for teams for events outside of their control:

• ECB will not unilaterally terminate The Hundred for seven years

• The ECB Member Resolution termination event has been removed

• ECB has clarified that it will not terminate the competition based on a breach by one or a select few clubs

• Termination for force majeure has been extended to require disruption over two consecutive seasons of The Hundred

• ECB’s right to terminate for “financial reasons” has been clarified to only apply in scenarios where ECB is experiencing financial challenges due to cash losses generated by The Hundred.”

“In the unlikely event the ECB decides to end its involvement in The Hundred, the ECB is committed to providing teams with an opportunity to maintain the competition independently, including using reasonable endeavours to make players, venues and a suitable playing window available to the competition,” the document states.

The ECB said it would also commit to “not launch or sanction a competing professional league for a period of 4 years”.

The ECB has also revised a set of sponsorship and player appearance proposals as part of its revised agreement.

In an effort to ensure a swift resolution to the process, the ECB told investors that those who do not sign and complete their stake purchases simultaneously would forego their right to an additional dividend.

For all investors, the governing body would provide “a £1 liability cap on all Business Warranties (given on a knowledge qualified basis) and Tax Claims”.

“The ECB will provide fundamental warranties only and will provide no other indemnities or warranties.”

An ECB spokesman declined to comment on the document on Sunday, but pointed to comments made recently by Richard Gould, the governing body’s chief executive.

“We’re just trying to work out how to maximise value from sponsorships, tickets sales and broadcast revenues,” he said.

“They’re investing a lot of money into our game and we want to make sure that pays dividends.

“We’ve got brilliant supporters for our UK domestic market through Sky, but there are probably significant opportunities in the overseas broadcast market and that’s very much something that they’re focused on but there are differences in the markets.

“We need to make sure we’ve got something which is fit for purpose across the global markets, not just a UK market.”

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CBI kicks off search for successor to ‘saviour’ Soames

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CBI kicks off search for successor to 'saviour' Soames

The CBI has begun a search for a successor to Rupert Soames, its chairman, as it continues its recovery from the crisis which brought it to the brink of collapse in 2023.

Sky News has learnt that the business lobbying group’s nominations committee has engaged headhunters to assist with a hunt for its next corporate figurehead.

Mr Soames, the grandson of Sir Winston Churchill, was recruited by the CBI in late 2023 with the organisation lurching towards insolvency after an exodus of members.

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The group’s handling of a sexual misconduct scandal saw it forced to secure emergency funding from a group of banks, even as it was frozen out of meetings with government ministers.

One prominent CBI member described Mr Soames on Thursday as the group’s “saviour”.

“Without his ability to bring members back, the organisation wouldn’t exist today,” they claimed.

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Rupert Soames
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Rupert Soames. Pic: Reuters

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Mr Soames and Rain Newton-Smith, the CBI chief executive, have partly restored its influence in Whitehall, although many doubt that it will ever be able to credibly reclaim its former status as ‘the voice of British business’.

Its next chair, who is also likely to be drawn from a leading listed company boardroom, will take over from Mr Soames early next year.

Egon Zehnder International is handling the search for the CBI.

“The CBI chair’s term typically runs for two years and Rupert Soames will end his term in early 2026,” a CBI spokesperson said.

“In line with good governance, we have begun the search for a successor to ensure continuity and a smooth transition.”

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Ryanair and easyJet cancel hundreds of flights over air traffic control strike

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Ryanair and easyJet cancel hundreds of flights over air traffic control strike

Ryanair and easyJet have cancelled hundreds of flights as a French air traffic controllers strike looms.

Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline by passenger numbers, said it had axed 170 services amid a plea by French authorities for airlines to reduce flights at Paris airports by 40% on Friday.

EasyJet said it was cancelling 274 flights during the action, which is due to begin later as part of a row over staffing numbers and ageing equipment.

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The owner of British Airways, IAG, said it was planning to use larger aircraft to minimise disruption for its own passengers.

The industrial action is set to affect all flights using French airspace, leading to wider cancellations and delays across Europe and the wider world.

Ryanair said its cancellations, covering both days, would hit services to and from France, and also flights over the country to destinations such as the UK, Greece, Spain and Ireland.

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Group chief executive Michael O’Leary has campaigned for a European Union-led shake-up of air traffic control services in a bid to prevent such disruptive strikes, which have proved common in recent years.

He described the latest action as “recreational”.

Michael O'Leary. Pic: Reuters
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Michael O’Leary. Pic: Reuters

“Once again, European families are held to ransom by French air traffic controllers going on strike,” he said.

“It is not acceptable that overflights over French airspace en route to their destination are being cancelled/delayed as a result of yet another French ATC strike.

“It makes no sense and is abundantly unfair on EU passengers and families going on holidays.”

Ryanair is demanding the EU ensure that air traffic services are fully staffed for the first wave of daily departures, as well as to protect overflights during national strikes.

“These two splendid reforms would eliminate 90% of all ATC delays and cancellations, and protect EU passengers from these repeated and avoidable ATC disruptions due to yet another French ATC strike,” Mr O’Leary added.

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How markets reacted to uncertainty over Rachel Reeves’s future

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How markets reacted to uncertainty over Rachel Reeves's future

The pound fell and state borrowing costs rose during a period of uncertainty over the chancellor’s future on Wednesday.

During Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir Starmer declined to guarantee whether a visibly emotional Rachel Reeves would remain chancellor until the next election following the government’s welfare bill U-turn.

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Following his remarks, the value of the pound dropped and government borrowing costs rose, via the interest rate on both 10 and 30-year bonds.

Although market fluctuations are common, there was a reaction following Sir Keir’s comments in the Commons – signalling concern among investors of potential changes within the Treasury.

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Sterling dropped to a week-long low, hitting $1.35 for the first time since 24 June. The level, however, is still significantly higher than the vast majority of the past year, having come off the near four-year peak reached yesterday.

While a drop against the euro, took the pound to €1.15, a rate not seen since mid-April in the aftermath of President Donald Trump’s tariff announcements.

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Meanwhile, the interest rate investors charge to lend money to the government, called the gilt yield, rose on both long-term (30-year) and ten-year bonds.

The UK’s benchmark 10-year gilt yield – so-called for the gilt edges that historically lined the paper they were printed on – rose to 4.67%, a high last recorded on 9 June.

And 30-year gilt yields hit 5.45%, a level not seen since 29 May.

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Both eased back in the hours following – as a spokesperson for the prime minister attempted to quell speculation about the chancellor’s future.

Sky News understands the prime minister made clear to the chancellor that she has his “complete support” and remains integral to his project.

Ms Reeves has committed to self-imposed rules to reduce debt and balance the budget. Speculation around her future led investors to question the government’s commitment to balancing the books – and how they would do that.

The questions over her future came after the government scrapped the core money-saving component of its welfare bill, which had been intended to reduce spending in order to meet fiscal rules.

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