Police chief apologises for 'erroneous' Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban evidence, blaming AI

West Midlands Police chief constable Craig Guildford has apologised to MPs for giving them "erroneous" evidence about the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, blaming the use of AI.

It comes on the day Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, is due to make a statement to MPs after receiving a report on the decision to bar the Maccabi fans from attending a Europa League match against Aston Villa in November. The force has been accused of misrepresenting the threat to justify advocating the exclusion of the Israeli club's fans from the match at Villa Park in Birmingham.

In a report to the Birmingham City Council Safety Advisory Group over whether to prevent supporters from attending the game, West Midlands Police referenced a match between the Israeli club and West Ham United that never happened. In a letter to the Commons Home Affairs Committee (HAC), Mr Guildford said evidence given by himself and Assistant Chief Constable Mike O'Hara that wrong intelligence over a West Ham match with Maccabi Tel Aviv was because of a Google search was incorrect.

Instead, it was due to the use of the artificial intelligence tool Microsoft Copilot. He offered his "profound apology" for the error, but added: "I had understood and been advised that the match had been identified by way of a Google search in preparation for attending HAC.

"My belief that this was the case was honestly held and there was no intention to mislead the committee." In the letter to committee chairwoman Dame Karen Bradley, Mr Guildford added: "Both ACC O'Hara and I had, up until Friday afternoon, understood that the West Ham match had only been identified through the use of Google. "I would like to offer my profound apology to the committee for this error, both on behalf of myself and that of ACC O'Hara." The police chief has faced mounting pressure and calls to resign over the ban.

Read more: Watchdog to examine police role in fans ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were barred from travelling to the game by the local Safety Advisory Group (SAG), which cited safety concerns based on advice from the police force. This included a reference by the force to a match between the Israeli club and West Ham United that never happened.

The decision by the SAG - which is made up of representatives from the council, police and other authorities - sparked political outrage, including from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Since then, doubts have been growing over the intelligence used by police, including disputes over the accuracy of information.

Mr Guildford has insisted the decision was not politically influenced..