Match of the knights

Emails emerged suggesting David Beckham would rather appreciate a knighthood. How many goals do you have to score for England (or what else do you have to do in football) to gain the honour?

— Alf Ramsey (knighted 1967): 3 goals for England, won World Cup as manager
— Bobby Robson (2002) 4 goals, took England to World Cup semi-finals
— Trevor Brooking (2004) 5 goals, was chairman of Sport England
— Stanley Matthews (1965) 11 goals
— Tom Finney (1998) 30 goals
— Bobby Charlton (1994) 49 goals

(David Beckham scored 17 goals for England. Other prominent England players who were not, or have not yet been, knighted include World Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore, goalkeeper Gordon Banks and Gary Lineker, who shares Sir Bobby Charlton’s record of 49 England goals.)

Legal outlaws

Phil Shiner, whose defunct legal firm Public Interest Lawyers brought cases of misconduct against British troops serving in Afghanistan and Iraq, was struck off after 12 charges of misconduct against him were proved. How many solicitors are struck off?

— In 2013 the Solicitors’ Regulation Authority (SRA) closed 11,387 misconduct investigations.
— Of these, 31 led to fines and 27 solicitors were struck off.
Source: FOI request to SRA

Reigning champions

The Queen marked 65 years on the throne. Some monarchs who have managed longer:

Sobhuza II (Swaziland), 1899–1982
82
Louis XIV (France), 1643–1715
72
Rama IX (Thailand), 1946–2016
70

Johannes II (Liechtenstein),
1858–1929
70
Franz Joseph I (Austria-Hungary),
1848–1916
68

(The Queen will have to live until 18 October 2034, when she will be 108, to overtake Sobhuza II and become the longest-serving monarch whose reign is reliably recorded.)

Rooms for manoeuvre

The government proposed incentives for elderly people to downsize their homes. How is UK housing wealth distributed?

Median housing wealth of highest earners

Age group
Median housing wealth
16-34
£20,000
35-49
£180,000
50-64
£293,000

65-79
£450,000
80-plus
£385,000

Source: Joseph Rowntree Foundation/University of Dundee