A parliamentary committee has said it expects to recall the chief constable of West Midlands police to explain why parts of the force’s evidence on the reasons behind a ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans was wrong.
In a letter to Craig Guildford, the home affairs committee of MPs warned him of the seriousness of misleading parliament and demanded more documents be handed over.
Guildford is under increasing pressure as he is also facing an emergency investigation ordered by the home secretary into the intelligence used to support the ban.
Letters from the committee of MPs released on Wednesday show they are determined to pursue the matter and may produce a report that is expected to be critical.
The committee, chaired by the Conservative MP Karen Bradley, involves members from all parties.
One committee source told the Guardian: “They are incensed about it.”
Advice by West Midlands police to a Birmingham public safety committee led to fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv being banned from attending their Europa Cup game in November against Aston Villa.
Police said the intelligence received from Dutch police showed the fans of the Israeli club could cause serious trouble and had done so in a previous match last year in Amsterdam.
The ban came shortly after the terrorist attack on a Manchester synagogue, in which two worshippers died.
West Midlands police stand by the intelligence that led them to view Maccabi fans as the most likely perpetrators of trouble and a danger to people in Birmingham, which has a significant Muslim population, against the backdrop of the Israel-Gaza war.
Bradley wrote to the West Midlands chief constable, and said: “In the light of subsequent developments, we have a number of questions relating to the actions of West Midlands police in respect of this fixture. It is therefore our strong expectation that you will return to give further oral evidence to the committee in the new year.”
Guildford and the assistant chief constable Mike O’Hara gave evidence before the committee last week.
A copy of the intelligence referenced a match played by Maccabi in the UK that never happened, and was “scraped” off an internet search.
Police also claimed some Jewish community members in and around Birmingham supported the ban, only this weekend to reverse their position and say that claim was incorrect.
In the letter, Bradley warned about the dangers of lying to parliament: “In addition, please could you in your response clarify the remarks made by Assistant Chief Constable Mike O’Hara that Jewish community representatives objected to the presence of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, something which we now understand to be untrue. Misleading parliament, intentionally or otherwise, is a serious matter and we would be grateful if you would correct the record and explain how this mistake occurred.”
The decision upheld by West Midlands police was reviewed by the Football Policing Unit, which saw no problems with it.
Keir Starmer has denounced the ban, as have the parties of the right.
HM Inspectorate of Constabulary has been ordered by the home secretary to investigate the intelligence presented by West Midlands police.
In a statement, West Midlands police said: “We have received the letter from the Home Affairs committee and will be responding in due course.”
The ban on Maccabi fans was made by Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group after the intelligence assessment by West Midlands police.
Maccabi Tel Aviv announced they would not sell their 2,400 allocation of tickets for the fixture.
Critics say other Europa League games played by Maccabi have passed without incident and the trouble in Amsterdam was caused by antisemitic factions.
In October, Maccabi’s game against their Tel Aviv rivals Hapoel was cancelled before kick-off because of violence.
