“Most concerningly, Sir Andy describes an approach taken by West Midlands Police that he characterises as ‘confirmation bias’. This means that rather than follow the evidence, the force sought only the evidence to support their desired position to ban the fans.”
The report was critical of the decision speak to authorities in Amsterdam – where there was disorder involving Maccabi fans – but not other forces in cities where this had not been the case.
The home secretary also said that WMP’s engagement with Dutch forces was “one of the most disquieting elements of Sir Andy's report”.
She said that the force had deployed "inaccurate claims, including the number of police officers deployed, links between fans and the Israeli Defence Forces, the targeting of Muslim communities, the mass tearing down of Palestinian flags, attacks on police officers and on taxi drivers were all either exaggerated or simply untrue”.
She also criticised “a series of public statements from West Midlands Police that we now know to have been misleading”.
A key damning element revealed by Mahmood was that Cooke’s report “shows that the 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”.
In addition, “misleading communications also extend to the words of the Chief Constable himself at his appearance in front of the Home Affairs Select Committee”, where he incorrectly claimed that a fictitious game referenced by WMP was not a result of “an AI hallucination” when it later transpired that it had been.
Mahmood continued say: “The shortcomings detailed in his report are, and I quote, ‘symptomatic of a force not applying this necessary strategic oversight and not paying enough attention to important matters of detail, including at the most senior levels’.
“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.”
She said that she thought that she was the first home secretary in 20 years to make such a statement but claimed that she did not have the authority to remove Guildford from office.
Chief Constable Craig Guildford of West Midlands Police (Parliament TV)[Missing Credit]
That power, she said, was in the purview of the local police and crime commissioner, “but I am sure that Simon Foster will now follow all due process as he considers that question for himself.”
The home secretary added that the government would “soon reintroduce the home secretary's power to dismiss chief constables in light of significant or persistent failings”.
She concluded: “This must serve as a lesson to police forces across the country, a reminder that they are called to their profession to serve truth and the law, to police our streets without fear or favour, and that community trust and cohesion depends upon them doing that above all else.”
Responding for the Conservatives Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, described the episode as “shameful”.
“West Midlands Police had evidence that Islamist extremists based in Birmingham plan to attack Maccabi, Tel Aviv fans, let's call that what it is. It is vicious antisemitism, and we cannot allow violent Islamists to impose their will on our country”, he added.
Philp then went on to claim that Mahmood did, in fact, have the power to dismiss Guildford and questioned whether she “accepts that she was wrong to personally ask no questions” to prevent a ban on the Maccabi fans.
Records show Guildford made the home secretary aware on October 8 that having no away fans at the match was an option, before the final decision was made on October 16. Philp accused her of “standing by during those critical eight days … she allowed the ban to happen and let the Islamists win”.
Mahmood hit back that she had “a long and very personal experience of standing up to extremists in Birmingham, not least in the last general election campaign”, during which, as she previously revealed, she had been called an infidel.
She went on to reject Philp’s claims that she had the power to dismiss a chief constable, saying that, in office, it was the Conservatives who removed the home secretary’s ability to do so.
The home secretary also disputed the claims that she didn’t intervene soon enough to stop a ban on Maccabi fans: “He [Guildford] did not say to me … that West Midlands Police had already made the decision to reduce the allocation of tickets to Maccabi Tel Aviv fans to zero”.
Labour MP Peter Prinsley also asked the home secretary about political interference in the decision to block Maccabi fans.
Making reference to the area of the House of Commons chamber where pro-Gaza independent MPs were sitting, he said: “As I look to the back of the opposite row, does the Secretary of State share my suspicions that there was indeed political interference with the work of the Birmingham Safety Advisory Group, and what will happen if this turns out to be the case?”
Mahmood said that the report said that there was “no evidence that police officers were motivated either by antisemitism or as a result of political interference”.
However, fellow Birmingham Labour MP Tahir Ali suggested some of the blame for the affair should be laid at the door of members of the Safety Advisory Group (SAG) who made the decision to ban Maccabi fans.
“The SAG had a huge part to play in this, and there were members of that that were biased, that were in there with an agenda, some of them, I'm ashamed to say, belong to my party.
“Will the Home Secretary agree with me that tough action needs to be taken against the individuals that set out to influence the decision on personal basis, rather than as an independent member of that SAG?” he asked.
She responded by saying that a review into the role of SAG was taking place but stressed the importance that “other political agendas are not brought into play” when making decisions.
In October, the JC revealed that two members of the SAG – including Labour councillor Waseem Zaffar – had held anti-Israel views.
Several other Labour MPs from the West Midlands – including Laurence Turner, Antonia Bance and Gurinder Singh Josan – all called for Guildford to resign.
Guildford was defended by pro-Gaza independent MP Ayoub Khan, who called the proceedings a “witch hunt” and that the chief constable “is being thrown under the bus”.
“Is it worth throwing our chief constable under the bus? Just to show that the words of right-wing media and Dutch officials under pressure from Amsterdam City Hall matter more than our British police?” he asked.
Mahmood retorted that as a barrister she thought Khan “might be more cognisant of the actual facts”.
The decision on Guildford’s future now lies with Labour’s police and crime commissioner Simon Foster.
Outside the chamber, the leader of Birmingham City Council called on the head of West Midlands Police to resign, saying that: “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 learnt and implemented”.
Similarly, the Board of Deputies and Jewish Leadership Council said in a joint statement that they welcomed Mahmood’s statement and called on Foster “to exercise his authority and dismiss Chief Constable Guildford without delay.
“This case signals wider concerns about the factors influencing police judgement and decision making. We will continue to work with government authorities and police forces across the country to ensure the lessons are learned, to ensure there can be no repetition, and restore our community’s trust”, they added.
