Will Gary Lineker be able to keep his election thoughts quiet during the Euros?

It is hard to imagine the European football championship, which kicked off last night, was a big factor in Rishi Sunak’s decision to call a snap general election. But whether the footie was a consideration or not, the possibility that events in Germany might have some bearing on the result on 4 July is something he, and we, might now wish to consider. We may have no choice if the BBC’s X-addicted Gary Lineker, who will have a huge platform during the tournament, chooses to spout off about politics.

There is limited data to support a link between national sporting success/failure and political outcomes but there is one precedent worth examining. The general election of 1970 coincided with the World Cup in Mexico and it has long been speculated that England’s nightmarish quarter final exit at the hands of Germany changed both the national mood and the election result.