Mick Hartley

The latest exciting revelation from Birmingham:

The elected police chief at the centre of the Israeli football ban row has been accused of offering to give a controversial mosque the equivalent of a “blank cheque” to apply for public funding.

Simon Foster, the West Midlands police and crime commissioner, wrote that he would be “very happy” to provide Green Lane mosque with a generic letter of support that would allow it to apply for future, unspecified public grants.

Internal documents reveal that in January 2023 Foster also praised the “impressive range of work” at Green Lane, which has a history of antisemitic and misogynistic speakers.

A very impressive range of work. Labour seems to have a weakness for hard-line Islam.

Foster, a supporter of Jeremy Corbyn, is the only person with the power to sack Guildford but has not done so, saying he wants to “follow the process”.

A supporter of Jeremy Corbyn. Ah. It all comes into focus.

West Midlands police’s links to the Green Lane mosque have been placed under the spotlight by the scandal. The force did not consult any local Jewish leaders over the Maccabi ban but did speak to eight local Muslim groups, including Green Lane and two others accused of hosting antisemitic preachers.