The summer of 1970 – England, the reigning World Champions, are off to Mexico, in an attempt to win the Jules Rimet Trophy again.  It’s a whole different challenge for England, as they have to cope with the Mexican heat and altitude, as well as being tagged as the villains, owing to Latin American conspiracy theories about 1966. The drama begins off the field as England’s catering arrangements and Sir Alf Ramsey’s aloof demeanour raise the hackles of the Mexicans. Then a stopover in Colombia goes disastrously wrong with the Bobby Moore bracelet affair. Things get more intense as the tournament finally starts – from a physical encounter with Romania to an epic confrontation with Brazil, then a pedestrian match with Czechoslovakia and the ultimate showdown with West Germany.

Meanwhile back home, Harold Wilson, the Prime Minister, is seeking to repeat his own victory from 1966, by winning a fresh general election. After four turbulent years, Wilson’s Labour Party is comfortably ahead of the Edward Heath’s Tories in the opinion polls. However, the World Cup is preying on Wilson’s mind. The PM is taken with the notion that Labour’s fortunes rise and fall, in accordance with those of the England team. Wilson is worried about what will happen to the Labour government if England are knocked out of the competition shortly before polling day.

Could England’s defeat against West Germany really have affected the outcome of the 1970 general election?

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