Sir Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood were locked in an extraordinary stand-off with the police last night over controversial plans to ban Israeli football fans from a match in Birmingham.
The Prime Minister savaged the decision to bar supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv from attending the club’s Europa League match against Aston Villa next month and said the Government would do ‘everything in our power’ to get it reversed.
But last night it emerged that Ms Mahmood had been personally warned of the impending decision a week before it was finalised and had not objected.
Furious police chiefs told ministers they would need to change the law if they wanted to take direct responsibility for the policing of matches. Last night the police were still resisting political pressure to reverse the ban, which they defended on safety grounds.
The decision by West Midlands Police to bar Maccabi fans triggered widespread outrage from both politicians and Aston Villa fans.
The Prime Minister said the authorities had taken ‘the wrong decision’, and suggested it had been made to prevent Jewish fans being attacked in the heavily Muslim area. ‘We will not tolerate anti-Semitism on our streets,’ he said. ‘The role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game without fear of violence or intimidation.’
Downing Street said the football-loving PM believed the sport was a ‘unifying force’ and was ‘angry’ at the decision. But Home Office sources last night admitted that Ms Mahmood had been personally informed of the situation the previous week by Craig Guildford, the Chief Constable of West Midlands Police. They insisted she was powerless to act as a final decision had not been taken.
It is understood the Cabinet Office was also made aware. No 10 said Sir Keir had not been given advance warning but declined to say whether his officials had been told. Kemi Badenoch, who branded the ban a ‘national disgrace’, said the Home Secretary had ‘serious questions to answer’.
Fans of Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv have been banned from watching their team at Aston Villa
Last night it emerged that home secretary Shabana Mahmood (pictured) had been personally warned of the impending decision a week before it was finalised and had not objected
The Tory leader added: ‘This is a weak government that fails to act when required. Now we learn Shabana Mahmood knew Jewish football fans were being banned from a UK stadium and did nothing.’
Emily Damari, a British-Israeli who was held captive by Hamas for more than a year before being released in January and a diehard Maccabi fan said: ‘I do wonder what exactly has become of UK society. This is like putting a big sign on the outside of a stadium saying “No Jews allowed”.’
Sharren Haskel, Israel’s deputy foreign minister, accused the police of ‘appalling’ double standards after allowing tens of thousands of Muslims and Left-wing activists to march through London. And the Campaign Against Antisemitism said it would launch a judicial review ‘to overturn this pernicious ban’.
The match, on November 6, was classified high risk by the police based on ‘intelligence and previous incidents’. The force pointed to violent clashes and hate crime offences at last year’s Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam.
After talks between ministers and the police, the Government said the force had been asked to provide a new plan next week setting out what additional resources would be needed to enable Israeli fans to attend safely.
Birmingham City Council’s Safety Advisory Group, which made the final decision on police advice, is also expected to discuss the situation again next week.
A Government spokesman said: ‘No one should be stopped from watching a football game simply because of who they are. The Government is working with policing and other partners to do everything in our power to ensure this game can safely go ahead, with all fans present.’
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick and Reform MP Danny Kruger both suggested the chief constable should be sacked if he refused to back down.
Mr Jenrick said: ‘Send in as many police officers as required to get the 1,000 or so Maccabi fans in. Sack the chief constable if he won’t change his mind. Deal with the extremist imams in Birmingham who have spent the past few days fomenting hate.’
The Aston Villa Jewish Villans supporters’ club said: ‘In the summer of 1938, on a tour of Germany, the name Aston Villa became famous around the world as the only visiting team who refused an official request to perform the Nazi salute prior to kick-off. Today, the same club have been forced by the local authorities to salute modern-day Nazism.’
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Shabana Mahmood was told of Maccabi Tel Aviv ban plans a week ago and ‘had not objected’: Hamas victim likens police decision to a sign saying ‘no Jews allowed’