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 deemed a failure of leadership in the decision to prevent Israeli football fans from attending a match between Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Birmingham last November. Mahmood introduced new legislation that allows Home Secretaries to dismiss police chiefs, a power that had previously been revoked by the previous Tory government.
Following a review by Chief Inspector of Policing Sir Andy Cooke, Mahmood stated that the findings were damning, leading her to withdraw her support for Chief Craig Guildford of the West Midlands Police. She highlighted that the police force had only sought evidence to justify their preconceived decision to ban the fans, with Guildford facing pressure to resign after admitting to providing inaccurate information to Members of Parliament regarding the ban.
The Labour frontbencher emphasized in the Commons that the Chief Constable bore ultimate responsibility for the force’s failure to fulfill its duties on a matter of national significance. The report revealed that the police had exaggerated the threat posed by Maccabi Tel Aviv fans while downplaying the risks faced by Israeli fans visiting the area. It was disclosed that misinformation presented to MPs by Guildford was attributed to an “AI hallucination.”
Furthermore, the report indicated that the police had minimal engagement with the Jewish community in Birmingham before making the decision. Despite calls for Guildford’s resignation, Birmingham Perry Barr MP Ayoub Khan defended him, asserting that the Chief Constable was being unfairly blamed. Khan argued that the police force had a history of working with various communities and had valid reasons for banning Maccabi fans due to concerns about racism and violence.
Guildford admitted to providing misleading information to MPs, attributing the error to a Microsoft Co Pilot mistake. The decision to bar Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from the match at Villa Park was made by the local Safety Advisory Group based on advice from the police. Guildford also apologized for the misinformation, initially blaming an incorrect Google search for the error.
The Home Secretary received the findings of Chief Inspector of Constabulary Sir Andy Cooke and pledged to make a statement in the House of Commons later. The authority to dismiss Guildford rests with West Midlands police and crime commissioner Simon Foster, who will conduct a formal review of the decision-making process concerning the ban.