Shabana Mahmood has strongly criticized the chief constable of West Midlands Police, expressing a lack of confidence in his leadership. The Home Secretary condemned what she termed as a “failure of leadership” regarding the decision to wrongly prevent Israeli football fans from attending a match between Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Birmingham last November. Mahmood introduced new legislation that grants Home Secretaries the authority to dismiss police chiefs, a power that was removed by the previous Conservative government.
Following a review initiated by Mahmood, conducted by the Chief Inspector of Policing, Sir Andy Cooke, she described the findings as “damning” and announced her loss of confidence in Chief Craig Guildford of the West Midlands Police. According to Mahmood, the police force selectively sought evidence to support their preconceived decision to ban the fans. Pressure has increased on Guildford to resign after he admitted to providing inaccurate information to Members of Parliament about the ban.
Mahmood, a Labour frontbencher, declared in the Commons that the responsibility for the force’s failure in a matter of national significance ultimately lies with the Chief Constable. She emphasized that the decision to withdraw confidence from the Chief Constable was based on the evidence presented by Sir Andy Cook.
The report revealed that the police exaggerated the threat posed by Maccabi Tel Aviv fans while downplaying the risks faced by Israeli fans if they had attended the match. Mahmood highlighted that misinformation, including an “AI hallucination,” influenced the decision-making process and misled MPs. The report also pointed out the lack of engagement with the Jewish community before the ban decision was made.
However, Birmingham Perry Barr MP Ayoub Khan criticized the decision, claiming that Guildford was being unfairly targeted. Khan argued that the police force in West Midlands has a history of collaboration with all communities, including dealing with far-right protests. Despite acknowledging procedural shortcomings, Khan maintained that the ban on Maccabi fans was justified due to concerns about racism and violence.
Guildford has faced mounting pressure to resign over the ban. In a letter to Dame Karen Bradley, he admitted to providing misleading information to MPs, attributing the error to a Microsoft Co Pilot mistake. The decision to prohibit Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending the match was made by the local Safety Advisory Group (SAG) based on safety concerns advised by the police force.
Guildford later apologized for the misinformation, attributing it to an erroneous Google search. He expressed regret for the error and clarified that both himself and Assistant Chief Constable Mike O’Hara had provided incorrect intelligence regarding the West Ham match involving Maccabi Tel Aviv.
The power to remove Guildford rests with West Midlands police and crime commissioner Simon Foster, who has committed to reviewing the evidence surrounding the ban decision. The Home Office confirmed that the Home Secretary is assessing the findings of the Chief Inspectorate regarding the ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans and will address the matter in the House of Commons later.