Shabana Mahmood has strongly criticized the chief constable of West Midlands Police, expressing a lack of confidence in his leadership. This comes after the Home Secretary condemned a “failure of leadership” that led to the incorrect exclusion of Israeli football fans from a match between Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Birmingham last November. Mahmood has introduced new legislation enabling Home Secretaries to dismiss police chiefs, a power previously revoked by the former Tory government.
Following a review conducted by Chief Inspector of Policing Sir Andy Cooke, Mahmood declared that she no longer supports the current chief, Craig Guildford, citing the damning findings of the investigation. According to Mahmood, West Midlands Police selectively gathered evidence to justify their decision to ban the fans, with Guildford facing increasing calls to step down after admitting to providing inaccurate information to Members of Parliament.
The report uncovered that the police exaggerated the threat posed by Maccabi Tel Aviv fans while downplaying the risks faced by Israeli fans if they attended the match. Mahmood highlighted that misinformation, including an “AI hallucination,” was presented to MPs by Guildford during the scrutiny process. She emphasized the lack of engagement with the Jewish community in Birmingham before the decision was made, as outlined in Sir Andy’s critical report.
Despite the backlash against Guildford, Birmingham Perry Barr MP Ayoub Khan defended the chief constable, claiming he was being made a scapegoat. Khan argued that West Midlands Police has a track record of collaborating with all communities and resisting community pressures, citing instances of handling far-right demonstrations in the city. While acknowledging procedural shortcomings, Khan maintained that the decision to ban Maccabi fans was rooted in concerns over racism and violence.
Guildford has been under increasing pressure to resign following the controversy. In a letter to Dame Karen Bradley, chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, he admitted to providing misleading information to MPs, attributing the error to a mistaken Google search. The ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans attending the match at Villa Park was enforced by the local Safety Advisory Group based on safety advice from the police force.
The Home Office confirmed that the Home Secretary has received the findings of the Chief Inspectorate’s investigation. The power to dismiss Guildford rests with West Midlands police and crime commissioner Simon Foster, who has pledged to formally review the decision-making process surrounding the ban.
