Overview
- His Majesty’s Inspectorate, led by Sir Andy Cooke, found “confirmation bias,” concluding the force sought evidence to support banning Maccabi Tel Aviv fans and understated risks to Israeli supporters.
- Chief Constable Craig Guildford apologized and admitted Microsoft Copilot produced a non‑existent West Ham–Maccabi match reference after he had told MPs the error came from a Google search.
- West Midlands Police said it was “extremely sorry,” with the review citing eight inaccuracies and a failure to engage Jewish representatives early, while finding no evidence the decision was motivated by antisemitism.
- Shabana Mahmood told Parliament she no longer has confidence in Guildford and will pursue new statutory powers to force chief constables’ resignations, noting she cannot dismiss him under current law.
- Police and crime commissioner Simon Foster declined to remove Guildford now, saying he will weigh further reports and question him at a public board on 27 January, as the terrorism watchdog urged considering a hate‑crime probe based on the original intelligence.