Shabana Mahmood has declared that she has “no confidence” in the chief constable of West Midlands Police after a damning report found that the force had exaggerated evidence to justify its decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from a match against Aston Villa.
Ms Mahmood accused the force of ignoring the local Jewish community and using “confirmation bias” to exclude Israeli football fans from attending the Europa League clash at Villa Park last November, after safety concerns were cited as the reason for its decision.
Addressing the House of Commons in an emergency statement on Wednesday, Ms Mahmood said there had been “a failure of leadership”, adding that “rather than follow the evidence, the force sought only the evidence to support their desired position to ban the fans”.
Ms Mahmood is the first home secretary in 20 years to call for a police chief to be removed, but she is unable to sack the chief constable of the force, Craig Guildford, because of a change in the law under the coalition government in 2011. That power lies instead with the West Midlands police and crime commissioner, Simon Foster, who has said he will formally review the evidence on decision-making around the ban.
But in the light of the scandal, Ms Mahmood announced plans to bring in legislation that would restore power to the home secretary to sack police chiefs.
An independent report into the decision-making around the ban, by Chief Inspector of Constabulary Sir Andy Cooke, found that the move was based on false information. It also found, according to Ms Mahmood, that:
- A summary of conversations with Dutch police about what had happened when Maccabi played in the Netherlands was “inaccurate” and the claims made within it were “all either exaggerated or simply untrue”
- West Midlands Police had “conducted little engagement with the Jewish community, and none with the Jewish community in Birmingham”
- 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”
Further, it found that there were eight inaccuracies in the report used to justify the ban, including a reference to a non-existent game between Tel Aviv and West Ham, which was found to have been an “AI hallucination” produced by Microsoft Copilot.
It comes after it emerged that police had decided to ban the fans because of fears that local Islamist community groups in Birmingham were preparing to arm themselves to attack the Maccabi fans. But the force then tried to fabricate a case that it was the fans themselves who posed a danger.
Ms Mahmood told the Commons: “The ultimate responsibility for the force’s failure to discharge its duties on a matter of such national importance rests with the chief constable, and it is for that reason that I must declare today that the chief constable of West Midlands Police no longer has my confidence.”
Ms Mahmood was backed by West Midlands mayor Richard Parker, who described the chief constable’s position as untenable. He warned that confidence in West Midlands Police had been “badly tested”, and that trust cannot be rebuilt if things remain as they are.
Birmingham City Council leader John Cotton said: “For the sake of the city and region, confidence needs to be restored in the leadership of West Midlands Police, so that lessons can be learned and implemented. I believe that the chief constable should stand down so that this vital work can begin at once.”
Sir Andy’s report found eight “inaccuracies” in the information provided by the force to the safety advisory group. They included a reference to a non-existent game between Tel Aviv and West Ham, which was found to be an “AI hallucination” produced by Microsoft Copilot.
Other inaccuracies included overstating the number of Dutch police officers deployed during the earlier match in the Netherlands, claims that fans were linked to the Israel Defense Forces, claims that Muslim communities had been intentionally targeted by Tel Aviv fans, and reports of a number of Dutch police officers having been injured in the disorder.
The review found there was “no evidence” that antisemitism had played a part in the force’s decision to ban the Israeli team’s fans, but said there was an “imbalance” in the information the force had used to inform its decision.
Sir Andy said West Midlands Police had lacked the foresight to “recognise the long-term, global consequences”.
Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Guildford issued a “profound apology” for the fictitious information used to justify the ban, but insisted the decision was not politically influenced and instead blamed the use of AI.
Mr Guildford told the Commons home affairs committee in a letter that, until Friday afternoon, he had believed the mistake to have been caused by using Google, when in fact it was the result of the AI tool Microsoft Copilot.
The shadow home secretary Chris Philp described the saga as a “shameful episode” and said that the threat to Maccabi Tel Aviv fans amounted to “vicious antisemitism”. He also clashed with Ms Mahmood, claiming that she did have the power to sack Chief Constable Guildford under legislation passed in 1996.
But Ms Mahmood responded that he was mistaken and his party had changed the law in 2011 when it created police and crime commissioners.
There were cries of “Shame” when independent MP Ayoub Khan claimed that Mr Guildford was being “thrown under a bus” because of right-wing attacks. But they were rare voices of support for the beleaguered chief constable, with MPs on both sides of the House demanding that he be removed or quit.
John Woodcock, now Lord Walney, the government’s former anti-extremism adviser, said: “This is the end for the West Midlands chief constable. His force has told lie after lie to cover up their disgraceful appeasement of local Muslim antisemites, and it has backfired spectacularly.”
The Campaign Against Antisemitism also called for the West Midlands Police chief constable to resign, or to be sacked if he refuses to stand down.
Its chief executive, Gideon Falter, said: “This report confirms what we have all known: West Midlands Police chiefs victim-blamed Jews, lied repeatedly and then attempted a cover-up.”
Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said the report findings were “concerning” and needed to be taken seriously. He added: “This case underlines the importance of policing without fear or favour, including our essential role in the policing of events so that they can be safely enjoyed, and our responsibility to work with communities on preventing crime, disorder and fear.”