- Sir Keir Starmer intervened to prevent Fifa from bringing forward the kick-off time of England's match against Mexico, fearing it would disadvantage the Three Lions.
- The proposed change would have moved the match to an earlier time, reducing England's acclimatisation period to Mexico's altitude, prompting the UK Government to act through diplomatic channels.
- The intervention followed an alert from the Football Association to Downing Street regarding the potential problem.
- England ultimately secured a 3-2 victory over World Cup co-hosts Mexico, overcoming challenges including altitude and a red card for Jarell Quansah, to advance to a quarter-final against Norway.
- Separately, Sir Keir had previously introduced emergency legislation to allow pubs to extend their opening hours for the round-of-16 match.
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