Rishi

The government has pledged £1.5m for two new indoor sport domes in Luton and Lancashire – but hopes of grassroots cricket receiving an anticipated huge cash injection remain in doubt.

Last year, then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised £35m to cricket in what was called a “seminal moment” that could lead to “generational change” within the sport.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) envisaged the funding package “turbocharging” an improvement in facilities in towns and cities for state school children.

Central to that plan was the construction of 16 domes across England before 2029, which would enable local cricket to be played all year round and in any weather.

A £14m proportion of the original pledge was to be divided between three charities – ACE, Chance to Shine and Lord’s Taverners – with the target of getting one million pupils from state schools playing cricket.

As reported by BBC Sport last October, those plans were left severely under threat amid government cuts as part of the Spending Review.

At the announcement of the two new domes, during an event at Leyland Cricket Club in Lancashire, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told the BBC that former Conservative leader Sunak’s original package to help revive cricket in state schools was unrealistic.

She said the decision to provide cash for the two domes was a “significant step” at a time when “public finances are very very tight”.

“Unfortunately, the announcement made by the last government was a fantasy. There was not a single penny of funding actually attached to it,” explained Labour MP Nandy.

“So the announcement in itself equated to absolutely nothing at all.

“We are backing sport because we know how much it matters. It changes people’s lives. It opens up opportunities that people would never have had otherwise.”

Shadow Culture Secretary Nigel Huddleston said it was “vital” to “widen cricket participation in schools” and “provide world-class, all-year-round facilities for local communities”.

He added: “At a time when there is uncertainty over the government’s commitment to sports funding, including the future of cricket fund, my Conservative colleagues and I will continue to champion this cause.”

Sunak’s appointment comes after resigning from the PM role last year after a loss to Keir Starmer’s Labour Party

Goldman Sachs has named former United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as a senior adviser, adding a veteran policymaker to its roster as banks navigate rising geopolitical and regulatory uncertainty.

The investment bank announced Sunak’s appointment on Tuesday.

Sunak, who remains a Conservative member of parliament from a seat in northern England, previously worked at Goldman as an analyst in the early 2000s before joining a series of hedge funds.

Through a combination of his past career in financial services and the family wealth of his wife, whose father co-founded the Indian IT services company Infosys, Sunak became the wealthiest British prime minister, drawing criticism of being out of touch with most UK voters.

He has remained largely out of the spotlight since resigning as leader of the Conservatives after the party’s worst defeat in more than a century in July last year. He took up posts at Oxford and Stanford universities earlier this year.

Goldman’s hiring of Sunak, who had also served as the UK’s finance minister, adds to a long list of senior politicians taking up positions in finance, where their policy backgrounds and global networks are viewed as strategic assets.

“I am excited to welcome Rishi back to Goldman Sachs,” Goldman CEO David Solomon said in a statement. “In his role, he will work with leaders across the firm to advise our clients globally on a range of important topics, sharing his unique perspectives and insights on the macroeconomic and geopolitical landscape,” Solomon said.

Former British finance ministers George Osborne and Sajid Javid have also made the move to finance with Osborne holding positions at asset manager BlackRock and advisory firm Robey Warshaw and Javid becoming a partner at investment firm Centricus.