Lorin Bell-Cross

Political Correspondent

Latest from Lorin Bell-Cross

Jerusalem sources deny claim Israeli police failed to attend key West Midlands force meeting on Maccabi fan ban

West Midlands Police claimed their Israeli counterparts ‘missed an opportunity’ to ‘exchange intelligence’, but Israeli officials insist they were never invited

3 min read

A man protests the ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans ahead of the team's Europa League match against Aston Villa on November 06, 2025, in Birmingham (Getty Images)

West Midlands Police chief constable Craig Guildford (Image: ParliamentTV)

Maccabi fan ban: Pressure mounts on WMP chief constable to resign following ‘deeply concerning’ revelations

4 min read

Party leaders trade barbs over Jewish attorney general and shadow at PMQs

3 min read

Police officers secure an anti-Israel demonstration outside Villa Park in Birmingham (Getty Images)

Villa Park’s suitability for Euro 2028 queried after ‘shameful’ Maccabi ban

4 min read

The Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban and West Midlands Police controversy – a timeline

The key dates and developments in the ongoing dispute that shows no sign of fading away

3 min read

January 6, 2026 15:21

The outside of Villa Park Stadium pictured ahead of the Aston Villa-Maccabi Tel Aviv match on November 6 (Photo: Getty)

Starmer expresses ‘regret’ at welcoming British-Egyptian activist who called for killing of Zionists

The prime minister said Alaa Abd el-Fattah’s comments were ‘abhorrent’ and that his return to Britain was a ‘failing within the system’

2 min read

January 5, 2026 11:04

Sir Keir Starmer (right) interviewed by the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg (Image: BBC).

Starmer’s former director of strategy slams ‘Stakeholder State’ for prioritising release of activist who ‘called for killing of Zionists’

Paul Ovenden claimed British-Egyptian Alaa Abd el-Fattah was ‘a cause célèbre beloved of Whitehall’s sturdy, clean-shirted diplomats and their scurrying auxiliaries’

2 min read

January 2, 2026 11:59

Minutes of West Midlands Police meeting contain no suggestion Jewish community backed Maccabi fan ban

Representatives of the force even noted that Jewish groups ‘expressed concern that banning away fans could be perceived as antisemitic’, according to official records disclosed under a Freedom of Information request

2 min read

January 2, 2026 09:42

Heaton Park survivor slams ‘platitudes and inactivity’ among politicians on antisemitism

Alan Levy addressed one of two Chanukah events in Parliament on Wednesday night

3 min read

December 18, 2025 11:18

Alan Levy from Heaton Park synagogue in Westminster Hall (Image: Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester/X)

Lib Dem leader urges PM to adopt ‘comprehensive government strategy to tackle antisemitism’

Sir Keir Starmer opened PMQs by promising to protect Jewish communities in the UK in the wake of the Sydney terror attack

3 min read

December 17, 2025 14:50

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey (Image: Parliament TV).

Starmer confirms public order law review will examine ‘globalise the intifada chant’

The prime minister and chief rabbi lit Chanukah candles in Downing Street with Jewish communal figures before heading to Australia

3 min read

December 17, 2025 11:23

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis light a candle as they host a reception to celebrate Hanukkah at Downing Street in London on December 16, 2025. (Photo by Alastair Grant / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Kemi Badenoch: Leaders must act against ‘radical Islamism’ to keep British Jews safe

The Tory leader addressed the group’s Chanukah reception on Monday, labelling Islamist extremism ‘a threat to Western civilisation’

3 min read

December 16, 2025 12:08

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch (right) at the Conservative Friends of Israel Chanukah reception in the House of Lords with CFI President Lord Polak (left).

PM urged to cut ties with Labour donor who mentioned ‘Gaza genocide’ in comment on Bondi terror

Dale Vince accepted that another post about a ‘Turkey Holocaust’ ahead of Christmas was ‘insensitive’

3 min read

December 16, 2025 10:47

Now ban ‘globalise the intifada’ chant after Sydney attack, MPs from across parties demand

Former home secretary Suella Braverman has criticised the ‘permissive attitude’ of police as she joins call for action

3 min read

December 15, 2025 19:09

Conservative MP and former Home Secretary Suella Braverman (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images)

Over 100 parliamentarians ask police watchdog to investigate Maccabi fan ban

‘We do not have confidence in West Midlands Police's ability to investigate its own actions,’ said the group of MPs and peers

2 min read

December 15, 2025 11:23

Police outside the stadium prior to the match between Aston Villa FC and Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC at Villa Park . (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Party leaders wish Britain’s Jews a happy Chanukah

The prime minister, Kemi Badenoch, Sir Ed Davey, Nigel Farage and Zack Polanski sent messages of hope, which came before the attack on Bondi Beach in Australia

4 min read

December 14, 2025 09:43

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Lorin Bell-Cross

Latest from Lorin Bell-Cross

Jerusalem sources deny claim Israeli police failed to attend key West Midlands force meeting on Maccabi fan ban

Maccabi fan ban: Pressure mounts on WMP chief constable to resign following ‘deeply concerning’ revelations

Party leaders trade barbs over Jewish attorney general and shadow at PMQs

Villa Park’s suitability for Euro 2028 queried after ‘shameful’ Maccabi ban

More from Lorin Bell-Cross

The Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban and West Midlands Police controversy – a timeline

Starmer expresses ‘regret’ at welcoming British-Egyptian activist who called for killing of Zionists

Starmer’s former director of strategy slams ‘Stakeholder State’ for prioritising release of activist who ‘called for killing of Zionists’

Minutes of West Midlands Police meeting contain no suggestion Jewish community backed Maccabi fan ban

Heaton Park survivor slams ‘platitudes and inactivity’ among politicians on antisemitism

Lib Dem leader urges PM to adopt ‘comprehensive government strategy to tackle antisemitism’

Starmer confirms public order law review will examine ‘globalise the intifada chant’

Kemi Badenoch: Leaders must act against ‘radical Islamism’ to keep British Jews safe

PM urged to cut ties with Labour donor who mentioned ‘Gaza genocide’ in comment on Bondi terror

Now ban ‘globalise the intifada’ chant after Sydney attack, MPs from across parties demand

Over 100 parliamentarians ask police watchdog to investigate Maccabi fan ban

Party leaders wish Britain’s Jews a happy Chanukah