FA chief Mark Bullingham made a direct call to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in an attempt to stop England’s match against Mexico from being brought forward.Starmer told attendees at a Monday Downing Street reception that they ‘had to battle (along) with the FA’ to ensure the game started at its original time – amid concerns that the World Cup co-hosts were trying to secure an unfair advantage.And Daily Mail Sport can reveal that the PM got involved following a personal plea from chief executive Bullingham for intervention, ahead of the key last-32 clash at the Azteca Stadium.Starmer, himself a keen football fan, was quick to instruct officials to argue against plans that would have seen the kick-off switched from 1am UK time to six hours earlier.While security and weather concerns were raised in North America as reasons for the potential switch, sources have disclosed that some suspected that the entire situation was designed to provide maximum disruption to the Three Lions.However, FA insiders say their major concern was that the information on both the weather and safety risk involved was accurate and reliable enough to justify such a major shift with fewer than 48 hours’ notice. They were also determined to ensure minimum disruption to England’s travelling supporters, many of whom had already shelled out for expensive flights which would not have seen them arrive in time for the proposed change. Sir Keir Starmer fought to help England’s win vs Mexico to remain at its planned 2am BST slot England’s last-32 win could have been brought forward by six hours due to adverse weatherThe view was that an earlier kick-off time would wreak havoc with England’s meticulous planning and could also have meant Thomas Tuchel and his players faced higher temperatures while also having to deal with altitude, 7,200ft above sea level. Tuchel himself is known to have expressed his concerns on what was a frenetic afternoon of activity after the story broke in Mexico last Thursday.Indeed, when the England party took off for Mexico City from their Kansas City base camp early that evening those onboard were unsure what time the match would start.Sources close to the situation have disclosed that the switch was ‘all but done’ before objections were raised. After the group landed they were made aware that the start time would, after all, not be moved.FA insiders have stressed that calls between themselves and government officials are commonplace during major tournaments.As things transpired, the match on Sunday evening was subsequently delayed by an hour thanks to thunderstorms, with England eventually prevailing 3-2 in an instant classic.They will now face Norway in the quarter-final in Miami on Saturday.Starmer told guests at the reception: ‘We had to battle with the FA to get it back to where it was, which was counterintuitive.’Meanwhile, just one arrest for a separate matter was made as an estimated 10,000 England fans watched a momentous triumph at the historic venue.Police and travelling fans have been quick to hail the hospitality from their hosts. Following the final whistle, local fans lined the exits to shake hands with England supporters and wish them luck for the rest of the tournament. There were no reports of violence between the two sets of rival fans.