PM: We must get to bottom of West Midlands Police decision to ban Israeli fans
EXCLUSIVE: Starmer tells JN he is 'concerned by reports as to what material and intelligence was actually being relied on'
Keir Starmer has told Jewish News he is “concerned” over reports on what material and intelligence West Midlands Police relied on to make their decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from a European game against Aston Villa in Birmingham.
Asked whether he still had confidence in the Chief Constable of West Midlands Police, Starmer responded: “I’m concerned by some of the reports as to what material and intelligence was actually being relied on.
“I think we need to get to the bottom of that issue and understand what was being relied on, how it was being relied on, and how that came up.”
He also revealed that a report by Dutch police had disputed the “high risk” assessment made by West Midlands Police chiefs for the fixture, which he found equally troubling.
“There are clearly issues in relation to some of that reporting, some intelligence,” added the PM. “That’s why we need to get to the bottom of it.
“I am troubled by what we’re all seeing emerging in relation to this particular case.”
The decision by Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG)—comprising the council, police, and other agencies—to bar fans from the Israeli team from attending the match in early November has sparked widespread anger in the community.
Critics claim the move was taken under pressure from “Islamist agitators” and effectively amounted to a ban on Jews visiting the city for the Europa League clash.
West Midlands Police had classified the fixture as “high risk,” citing alleged violent clashes and hate crime offences during a 2024 Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam. However, Dutch police have since disputed the accuracy of those claims, according to the Sunday Times.
During a visit to Bushey United Synagogue, where Starmer spent two hours listening to harrowing accounts of antisemitism from Jewish school and university students and their parents, he reiterated his concern over the police decision.
Jewish News also raised ongoing concerns within the community about the impact of pro-Palestinian demonstrations, particularly following a protest outside St John’s Wood Synagogue the previous Sunday.
Starmer said: “I’ve been hearing various experiences from all people here in Bushey, but it just reinforces what we hear time and again, which is the huge personal impact that antisemitism has on the community.
“People should be able to go to their place of worship safely and securely and not feel harassed as they do. So I think that’s a really important fundamental principle.”
The Prime Minister acknowledged that Jewish people feeling “insecure” in the UK should be troubling for everyone.
“I don’t want anyone here, or elsewhere to feel that Britain, the United Kingdom, is not a safe and secure place for them,” he said.
He continued: “There are things we can do in relation to legal changes that we must do. For example, we are looking at the law around protest and whether the current provisions are sufficient, whether they’re being used sufficiently, or whether we need further powers.
“The Home Secretary is doing that work now. That may include the proximity of protests, repeat protests—which have been raised a number of times—and what is said or chanted at these protests.
“We need to look at what powers are available, whether they’re being used properly and consistently across the country, and whether we need wider powers.”
Addressing community members at Bushey synagogue who shared their experiences of antisemitism, Starmer said: “I have heard each and every one of you—different groups, students from different universities, and mums who talked about their own feelings.
“I can feel a sense of pain and anguish. I have heard you, I have listened to you. I have been particularly struck by how hard it is to talk about—it’s not easy to say this is happening to me. I feel a strong pride in being Jewish in Britain, but having to share these experiences—the sense that this has become normalised and more intense over the past two years.”
Starmer emphasised that the government is committed to addressing antisemitism, saying he would reflect on the accounts he had heard and consider the necessary actions to tackle Jew-hate.
He added, “The hardest thing to hear is the inevitable consequence of feeling you have to give up your identity.”
Describing antisemitism as “a cultural issue, and that’s hard,” Starmer said addressing it goes beyond laws and mandatory public sector training.
“I strongly believe we should be a tolerant, diverse, live-and-let-live country where people can enjoy difference and feel safe and secure whatever their identity,” he remarked.
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