Shabana Mahmood has strongly criticized the chief constable of West Midlands Police, citing a lack of confidence in his leadership. The Home Secretary condemned what she termed a “failure of leadership” that resulted in the incorrect exclusion of Israeli football fans from a match between Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Birmingham last November. Mahmood introduced new legislation granting Home Secretaries the power to remove police chiefs, a authority that had been revoked by the previous Conservative government.
An investigation commissioned by Mahmood and conducted by Chief Inspector of Policing, Sir Andy Cooke, was described as critical. Consequently, Mahmood stated that she no longer supports the current chief of the force, Craig Guildford. She accused West Midlands Police of selectively seeking evidence to support their predetermined decision to ban the fans, and highlighted discrepancies in Guildford’s testimony to Members of Parliament.
The Labour frontbencher addressed Members of Parliament, declaring that the responsibility for the force’s failure on a matter of national significance ultimately falls on the Chief Constable. This led Mahmood to withdraw her confidence in Guildford, citing Sir Andy’s compelling findings. The report revealed that the police exaggerated the threat posed by Maccabi Tel Aviv fans and underestimated the risks facing Israeli fans, with evidence suggesting misinformation influenced by an “AI hallucination.”
The investigation found that the police had limited engagement with the Jewish community, particularly in Birmingham, prior to making the decision. Despite this, Birmingham Perry Barr MP Ayoub Khan expressed outrage at what he perceived as Guildford being unfairly targeted. Khan defended the police force’s history of collaboration with all communities and argued that the decision to ban Maccabi fans was justified due to concerns of racism and violence.
Guildford faced mounting pressure to resign following revelations of misleading information provided to MPs. He admitted to inaccuracies in his statements, attributing some errors to a Microsoft Co Pilot mishap and others to an erroneous Google search. The decision to prevent Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending the match at Villa Park was based on safety concerns raised by the local Safety Advisory Group, relying on input from the police force.
In a letter to Dame Karen Bradley, Guildford apologized for the misinformation, clarifying that he and Assistant Chief Constable Mike O’Hara had provided incorrect details about a match involving West Ham and Maccabi Tel Aviv. Guildford assured the committee that the misinformation was unintentional and expressed regret for any confusion caused. The report by Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Sir Andy Cooke, highlighted several errors in West Midlands Police’s intelligence gathering and handling processes.
A Home Office spokesperson confirmed that the Home Secretary had received the Chief Inspectorate’s findings and would address them in the House of Commons later. The decision to dismiss Guildford rests with West Midlands Police and crime commissioner Simon Foster, who pledged to review the evidence surrounding the ban.