West Midlands Police grilled over Maccabi Tel Aviv intelligence

Dear readers — today’s briefing comes out as West Midlands Police’s top-brass head to London. There, they’ll face questioning from Parliament's home affairs committee over the fallout from a recent Aston Villa vs Maccabi Tel Aviv match. In other news, Perry Barr MP Ayoub Khan recounts memories of killing a dog to “save a baby” at Your Party conference, mayor Richard Parker hesitantly backs devolved ‘tourist tax’ powers, and archaeological work starts on the Smithfield site. All that, and more, in today’s edition.

Catch up and coming up:

Over the weekend Kate published a long-read looking into the death of Ismael Maolanzadeh in a Birmingham hotel housing asylum-seekers. “[a] heartbreaking, yet brilliant piece of reporting,” says commenter Stephen Sellars.

Earlier last week, we released a piece by Samantha Lyster exploring the historical buildings passengers pass while riding the number 16 bus route between central Birmingham and Handsworth. Read it here — expect terracotta Victoriana, civic statues, and derelict cinemas.

Christmas is nigh and we’re feeling festive at The Dispatch. It’s been a fantastic, hectic year, so what better way to celebrate than bringing our community together in a beloved local bar and getting them to duke it out for a £100 cash prize?

That’s right; on 18 December, The Dispatch is going to be hosting its very own Christmas quiz! We’ll be taking over the Jewellery Quarter’s Temper and Brown, for an evening of testing your knowledge on everything from music, history, pop culture and — of course — Birmingham.

Join us from 7.30pm on 18 December for some classic Christmas celebrations.

Grab your ticket

Photo of the week:

Photo: @philipgaches — Gaches Traditional Plasters. The plasterer Philip Gache has been carrying out a survey of the plaster work inside the iconic Perrott's Folly in Edgbaston. The folly is rumoured to be the inspiration behind JRR Tolkien's famous towers of Sauron and Saruman in The Lord of the Rings.

Been inside Perrott’s Folly? Feel like unleashing a horde of orcs on Edgbaston? Let us know in the comments.

Comment

Brum in Brief:

⚽ West Midlands Police and Crime Comissioner (PCC) Simon Foster and Chief Constable Craig Guildford are due to appear at Parliament’s Home Affairs committee today to answer questions about an allegedly “dodgy dossier” of intelligence provided to Birmingham City Council’s (BCC) safety advisory group. The intelligence concerned the risk posed by Maccabi Tel Aviv fans attending a match against Aston Villa in Birmingham in November. The intelligence led to a ban on the Israeli team’s fans.

The Times revealed that many of the claims made to BCC by West Midlands Police (WMP), using evidence provided by Dutch police, have been disputed by the mayor of Amsterdam Sebastiaan Meijer as “not true.” In reaction to the revelation made by The Times, the home secretary Shabana Mahmood has stepped in ordering home office officials to liaise with the Dutch government over claims made by the WMP. Foster and Guildford will face questioning from MPs about the veracity of the claims given to BBC’s safety advisory group. Foster has also published an open letter to Guildford, asking the chief constable for “assurances” over the “accuracy, credibility, reliability and provenance of the intelligence.” (Birmingham Mail).

💷 Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s budget is finally out. There are a number of policy changes that will impact Birmingham and the wider West Midlands. First, the government is freezing all regulated rail fares for one year from March 2026 — the treasury estimates this will save the average Birmingham-to-London commuter £804 annually. The budget also commits the government to launching a scheme of ‘Neighborhood Health Centres’, the first of which will be piloted in Birmingham. Third, the budget announces £400 million of FDI (foreign direct investment) into the city’s proposed ‘knowledge quarter.’ Fourth, Labour proposes to devolve a series of powers and finances to the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) including the ability to access housing funds, a chunk of a £13 billion pot for devolved mayoralities, a percentage of a new £150 million ‘Creative Places Growth Fund’ for the arts, and a share of a £500 million ‘Revolving Growth Fund’ aimed at local investment.

🏗️ Central Birmingham’s Smithfield site, which we have previously written about, has taken an “important step forward” according to relevant “stakeholders.” The site, which is due to be developed into a multi-billion pound housing, arts and culture scheme, is situated between Digbeth and the Bullring markets and is the location of Birmingham’s mediaeval manor house. This month archeological excavations started at Smithfield, preceding construction work which will start in early 2026. (BBC).

🚨 West Midlands Police have released more information to the public in reaction to mounting frustration over the 10-week, and counting, investigation into a September sexual assault against a Sikh woman in Oldbury. Sikh community leaders have expressed fears that the police are being “incompetent” and that there are many “unanswered questions.” Currently, there have been three arrests of suspects, with no one charged over the attack. (Birmingham Mail).

Quick Hits:

🐕 Perry Barr MP Ayoub Khan revealed that he killed a dog “with his hands” to “protect a baby” while working as a local councillor. (PoliticsHome).

🟢 Green Party peer Jenny Jones has criticised HS2 on X claiming that it's “time to turn it all into a walking and cycling path.” (X)

⚽ Birmingham has been confirmed as a host city for the 2035 Women’s World Cup. (Birmingham Mail).

🏦 The American investment bank Goldman Sachs has announced that is it doubling its staff in Birmingham. (The Guardian).

🧾 Mayor Richard Parker says he is “broadly supportive” of new tourist tax powers granted to devolved regions by the UK government. (Business Desk).

Media picks:

A shot of a giant v-shaped pier for the Curzon No.3 Viaduct in Birmingham. Photo: HS2.

📰 Documentary photographer Bob Kauders died last week, aged 71. Despite being born in Essex, Kauders made his career in Birmingham and the West Midlands, documenting changing suburbs of the city, like Handsworth. He also worked on a lengthy project capturing life in the old Bullring shopping centre before it was redeveloped in the 1990s. Kauder promoted photography as a community tool aiding different individuals in their communication with one another. (The Guardian).

📰 The Times has revealed that half of the population support “scrapping” HS2 before it’s finished. The paper’s reporting on polling has revealed that 50% of those asked think that funding for the high speed train should be redirected to fill government budget shortfalls. A survey conducted by JL Partners found that anti-HS2 sentiment was highest in the West Midlands (the region due to the benefit the most from the project) with 57% of people against the network (the national average is 51%). A spokesperson for HS2 told the Times that: “Scrapping HS2 now would squander billions of taxpayers’ money already invested.” (The Times).

Our to do list:

The stage show *Anansi the Spider* is on at The Rep from Thursday. Photo by Helen Murray.

🎭 From Monday, get little ones into the festive spirit at the MAC with The Owl Who Came for Christmas stage show. Tickets from £14.95.

🎭 On Thursday, it’s the opening night of the family-friendly stage adaptation of the iconic Caribbean folktale Anansi the Spider at The Rep. Tickets from £12.50.

🩰 A daytime one for Saturday: get a peek behind the scenes of Birmingham Royal Ballet and watch the dancers put the finishing touches on their performance at the Hippodrome. Tickets £15.

🌈 Also on Saturday, enjoy an evening of drag and DJs at the Bear Tavern’s Winter Pride celebration. Tickets £11.55.