Keir Starmer 'angered' by Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban and orders Cabinet to find way to reverse it

Sir Keir Starmer has ordered Cabinet ministers to find a way to allow Maccabi Tel Aviv fans to attend their team's match against Aston Villa in Birmingham.

It comes after senior Government ministers held urgent talks to overturn the ban on Israeli supporters from attending next month’s Europa League clash.

Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group controversially ruled that away fans would not be allowed at the November 6 fixture after West Midlands Police designated the match "high risk".

No10 has said Sir Keir is not pleased with the ban.

"The Prime Minister is angered by this decision," a No10 spokesman said.

"We should not have a country where we tell people to stay away from certain events."

The spokesman added that Football has been a "unifying force in this country for decades".

"We will never tolerate antisemitism on the streets," he added.

"This is wrong, and we are working to find a way through it."

Communities Secretary Steve Reed has spoken to the local council leader, while Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is working to find a way to support police through the situation.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy is meanwhile "meeting officials to discuss what more can be done to try to find a way through to resolve this, and what more can be done to allow fans to attend the game safely", the Downing Street spokesman said.

He added: "You can expect to hear further updates today. I won’t pre-empt the conversations, but these are happening at pace, across Government, with all the relevant groups to find a way to resolve this."

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The Aston Villa v Maccabi Tel Aviv fixture on November 6 at Villa Park has been classified high risk by West Midlands Police based on "current intelligence and previous incidents".

The force pointed to violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred during the 2024 Uefa Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam.

Birmingham’s safety advisory group (SAG), which brings together the council and police force, has faced widespread criticism from across the political spectrum for its decision to implement the ban.

West Midlands’ police and crime commissioner Simon Foster called for Birmingham council officials and West Midlands Police to review the decision.

The review would "determine whether or not this decision and recommendation is appropriate, necessary, justified, reasonable and a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim", he said.

Labour mayor of the West Midlands, Richard Parker, suggested the Government could finance the policing costs should the ban be overturned.

He wrote on social media: "Whilst I respect West Midlands Police, if the Government are willing to support in terms of resources, then there should be a review of the decision that has been made."

Emily Damari, a British-Israeli who was held captive by Hamas for more than a year before being released in January, and who supports Maccabi Tel Aviv and Tottenham Hotspur, was among those who criticised the ban.

She said: "I do wonder what exactly has become of UK society. This is like putting a big sign on the outside of a stadium saying: ‘No Jews allowed'.

"What has become of the UK, where blatant antisemitism has become the norm? What a sad world we are living in."

Uefa, which runs the Europa League, urged UK authorities to make sure Maccabi fans could attend the Villa Park fixture.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has urged the Home Secretary and the Prime Minister to "get involved" if the police did not reverse their decision.

She said Sir Keir "needs to show he has got a backbone and isn’t so weak that he will just allow Jewish people to be terrorised here".

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