Government looks utterly weak on Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban - and Tories have smelt blood

Government ministers have been outspoken and unequivocal in their outrage at the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from Aston Villa.

The prime minister immediately described it as "wrong", his spokesperson later describing Sir Keir Starmer as "angered".

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy and Communities Secretary Steve Reed were all involved in urgent conversations on Friday.

They pledged to do "everything in our power to ensure all fans can safely attend the game", next month with clear promises of additional resources and support if needed.

Speaking on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, the energy security secretary Ed Miliband hit out at the idea that Aston had become a "no-go" area for Jews as a result.

"We cannot have a situation where any area is a no-go area for people of a particular religion or from a particular country," he said.

"We've got to stamp out all forms of prejudice, antisemitism, Islamophobia, wherever we find them."

But astonishingly, three days after the announcement and despite the evident frustration from ministers, there's still no movement.

On Sunday, Ed Miliband was still unable to guarantee the game would go ahead, telling Sir Trevor: "I'm not going to say come what may, but I'm giving you a very, very clear indication of what we are working towards, which is that the fans from both teams can attend the match."

Conservatives smell weakness

It makes the government look utterly weak. And the Tories have smelt blood.

Accusing the prime minister of weakness is a regular line of attack from Kemi Badenoch - amplified over the past six months by first the welfare reform debacle, then the PM's ill-advised defence of Peter Mandelson, and most recently the collapse of the China spy trial.

Now the Tories are piling in to highlight his apparent impotence in the face of yet another controversy.

"What the actual hell," shadow education secretary Laura Trott wrote on social media.

"The PM & home secretary need to get a grip. This is not a one-off event, it is a pattern of behaviour towards Jewish people we see with the Met."

Shadow energy secretary Claire Countinho told Sir Trevor the situation is a "disgrace", highlighting the successful policing of large-scale pro-Palestine marches and the Notting Hill carnival.

She questioned why the Home Office had not stepped in when it became aware that banning away fans was an option under consideration earlier last week (the Home Office insists the home secretary was only informed the decision had been taken on Thursday night, along with everyone else).

The fact of the matter is that the police are operationally independent of government - and at the moment the West Midlands force is sticking to its assessment that allowing the match to go ahead as originally planned would be "high risk".

It's unclear why that risk could not be reduced by an influx of additional resources, and perhaps it will be.

We understand the issue is set to be discussed by the safety committee of council officials and the emergency services behind the original decision next week.

Miliband careful not to invoke antisemitism

Nearly two years ago, Suella Braverman was sacked as home secretary following anger at her outspoken criticism of the Metropolitan Police.

She accused them of applying "double standards" and "playing favourites", treating far-right marchers and football hooligans more harshly than pro-Palestinian and BLM protesters.

That intervention caused such anger amongst the police and in Number 10, which had advised her to tone down her article, that she lost her job.

So far, politicians have avoided overtly criticising West Midlands Police, but rather the banning decision based on its risk assessment.

It's a nuanced distinction.

Ed Miliband was careful not to accuse the police or council of antisemitism earlier, telling Sir Trevor: "The police's concern will be around public order and public safety. I'm sure that's what the local authority concern is."

But he immediately went on to criticise its current plan of action.

"What we can't do - and this is why it's important to do everything we can to make sure the match can go ahead with fans of all teams - is make any, any set of people from any race, from any religion, from any ethnic background, feel unwelcome in Britain," Mr Miliband said.

The UK Football Policing Unit has pushed back at the wave of political criticism, saying it's "important that we respect and support the structures in place for making these decisions".

But with each day that passes, the negative headlines continue, the Tory attacks gain momentum, and the Jewish community the PM also promised to protect with "everything in his power" feel more betrayed.

(c) Sky News 2025: Government looks utterly weak on Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban - and Tories have smelt blood