Shabana Mahmood has strongly criticized the chief constable at West Midlands Police, citing a lack of confidence in his leadership. The Home Secretary condemned what she described as a failure of leadership that led to Israeli football fans being wrongly prohibited from attending a match between Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Birmingham last November. Mahmood introduced new legislation granting Home Secretaries the authority to dismiss police chiefs, a power that was previously removed by the prior Conservative government.
Following a review she commissioned from Chief Inspector of Policing Sir Andy Cooke, Mahmood stated that the findings were critical, leading her to withdraw her support for the chief of West Midlands Police, Craig Guildford. She highlighted that the police force selectively sought evidence to support their predetermined decision to ban the fans. Pressure has been mounting on Guildford to resign after admitting to providing inaccurate information to Members of Parliament regarding the ban.
In a statement to the Commons, Mahmood emphasized that the responsibility for the force’s failure on such a significant matter ultimately lies with the Chief Constable, prompting her to declare the loss of confidence in him. The report revealed that the police exaggerated the threat posed by Maccabi Tel Aviv fans while downplaying the risks faced by Israeli fans. The lack of engagement with the Jewish community in Birmingham prior to the decision was also highlighted as a critical flaw.
Despite the decision receiving backlash, Birmingham Perry Barr MP Ayoub Khan defended Guildford, suggesting that he was being made a scapegoat. Khan argued that West Midlands Police has a history of collaborating with all communities, including dealing with far-right protests, and that the ban on Maccabi fans was justified due to concerns of racism and violence.
Guildford has been under increasing pressure to step down following revelations of misleading evidence provided to MPs. He attributed the misinformation to a Microsoft Co Pilot error and apologized for the inaccuracies resulting from an incorrect Google search. The decision to prohibit Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from the game at Villa Park was based on safety concerns advised by the local Safety Advisory Group and the police force.
In response to the investigation’s findings, the Home Office confirmed that the Home Secretary would review the letter from the Chief Inspectorate and provide a statement in the House of Commons later. The authority to remove Guildford rests with West Midlands police and crime commissioner Simon Foster, who pledged to conduct a formal review of the decision-making process surrounding the ban.