Home secretary Shabana Mahmood says she has no confidence in police chief after Maccabi Tel Aviv football fan ban
The home secretary has said she no longer has confidence in the chief constable of West Midlands Police after a “damning” report into the force’s decision to ban Israeli football fans from attending a game in the UK.
Shabana Mahmood told MPs a review by a police watchdog into the force showed “confirmation bias” over the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from attending the match at Villa Park in November.
Ms Mahmood also expressed frustration that she was not able to sack chief constable Craig Guildford herself.
The home secretary does not have the power to hire or fire chief constables, as this is now held by police and crime commissioners – a role being scrapped by the government.
Ms Mahmood said new statutory powers allowing a home secretary to force the resignation of chief constables on the grounds of their performance are planned.
What does the report say?
Speaking in the Commons, Ms Mahmood outlined the key contents of the report, written by Sir Andy Cooke, the chief inspector of Constabulary.
The cabinet minister said: “The force, we now discover, conducted little engagement with the Jewish community, and none with the Jewish community in Birmingham before a decision was taken.
“Andy describes an approach taken by West Midlands Police that he characterises as, and I quote, ‘confirmation bias’.
“This means that rather than follow the evidence, the force sought only the evidence to support their desired position to ban the fans.”
She pointed out the force failed to speak to police forces in other countries such as Greece, Ukraine and Denmark “where Maccabi Tel Aviv had played more recently and more peacefully”.
Ms Mahmood called the force’s communications with the Dutch police “one of the most disquieting elements” of the report.
She said: “The summary, provided as evidence to the Safety Advisory Group ahead of their crucial meeting on the 24th of October, was inaccurate.
“Claims including the number of police officers deployed, links between fans and the Israeli Defence Forces, the targeting of Muslim communities, the mass tearing down of Palestinian flags, attacks on police officers and on taxi drivers were all either exaggerated or simply untrue.”
HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary and Chief Fire & Rescue Inspector Sir Andy Cooke.
Pic: PA
Sir Andy’s report also highlighted issues about poor-record keeping and mishandling of sensitive information by the force.
“He shows that the police overstated the threat posed by the Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, while understating the risk that was posed to the Israeli fans if they travelled to the area,” she added.
Turning to the issue of the chief constable directly, she accused him of “misleading communications” and a “failure of leadership”, saying this is why she no longer has confidence in him.
But in a letter by Sir Andy to Ms Mahmood, he wrote that he found “no evidence” of antisemitism being the reason why the police force banned fans of the team from attending the match.
What happens now?
While Ms Mahmood does not have the power to sack Mr Guildford, the police and crime commissioner (PCC) for West Midlands Police does.
Simon Foster, a Labour politician, is yet to comment.
In Parliament, shadow home secretary Chris Philp said Mr Guildford “must be fired”, and accused Ms Mahmood of “pretending to have no power”.
But the home secretary hit back that it was the Conservatives who scrapped her ability to fire chief constables in 2011.
Chris Philp accused the home secretary of “pretending” to have no powers to fire Mr Guildford.
She told her Tory counterpart to “pay attention” to the details of the report and to “make himself familiar with how the law is to be interpreted”.
John Cotton, a Labour politician and leader of Birmingham City Council, has said Mr Guildford “should stand down” as “confidence needs to be restored in the leadership of West Midlands Police”.
Ayoub Khan, the area’s local MP who campaigned for the ban originally, has said Mr Guildford is “being thrown under a bus” and called it a “witch hunt”.
Top cop apologised for providing ‘erroneous’ evidence
Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Guildford apologised to MPs for giving them “erroneous” evidence about the decision to ban Maccabi fans, blaming the use of AI.
The police force announced in October that supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv would not be able to attend the club’s match against Aston Villa in Birmingham the following month, due to safety concerns.
Craig Guildford, chief constable of West Midlands Police, giving evidence to MPs earlier this month. Pic: PA
That decision led to an outcry, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer expressing concern, and senior members of West Midlands Police made to appear twice before MPs to answer questions about the ban.
The House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee heard evidence from Chief Constable Guildford, as well as others, which led to the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council jointly calling for him to go.
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