Overview
- Birmingham City Council leader John Cotton, along with senior officers Richard Brooks and Anthony Cox, will appear before the Home Affairs Committee on 6 January, with West Midlands Police chiefs Craig Guildford and Mike O’Hara recalled.
- West Midlands Police apologised to MPs and confirmed there was no documented feedback from Jewish representatives supporting a fan ban before the decision, saying earlier comments caused confusion.
- Birmingham City Council disclosed minutes from three Safety Advisory Group meetings that set and later reviewed the ban, providing the committee with the first detailed record of the process.
- The committee has scheduled a second hearing to scrutinise the safety rationale and to consider concerns that the measure could be interpreted as antisemitic.
- Police and the council’s advisory group cited disorder linked to some Maccabi ultras in Amsterdam and potential protest risks, while GB News reports Dutch authorities later called key intelligence false or misleading and the council plans an independent review.