Newslinks for Wednesday 7th January 2026

Pressure mounts on ‘untenable’ police boss in Israeli football fan ban

“Pressure is mounting for a chief constable to be sacked over banning Maccabi Tel Aviv fans attending an Aston Villa match, as senior Tories said his position was now ‘untenable’.  Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch was among the voices calling for Craig Guildford to step down or be removed after evidence emerged surrounding the decision to stop fans of the Israeli football team travelling to Villa Park in November. Newly published documents show West Midlands Police (WMP) was warned that locals in the majority Muslim community had planned to ‘arm’ themselves if Maccabi fans showed up – evidence that Mr Guildford has been accused of ‘hiding’. Gathered intelligence also showed ‘local hostility towards the visitors based on their nationality’. On Tuesday, Mrs Badenoch called on the chief constable to resign. She wrote on X: ‘West Midlands Police capitulated to Islamists and then collaborated with them to cover it up. They knew extremists were planning to attack Jews for going to a football match, and their response was to blame and remove Jewish people instead. We have had enough of this in Britain. The Chief Constable’s position is untenable. The British police serve the British public, not local sectarian interests.’ – Daily Mail

• Badenoch calls for police chief to go over Israeli football fan ban – Daily Telegraph
• Police banned Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans over fears they would ‘come to harm from UK extremists’ – The Independent
• Police chief admits officers Googled false information to justify banning Jewish football fans from Aston Villa match – The Sun
• WATCH: West Midlands Police Insist Only Mistake in Evidence to Ban Israeli Fans Was ‘False Google Search’ – Guido Fawkes

Comment:

• Police chief must resign over Israeli football fans’ ban – The Times View
• This is the year we’ll see Kemi Badenoch at her best – Alice Thomson, The Times

> Yesterday:

Drink-drive changes to kill off rural pubs

“Pubs face a new assault under Labour’s plans to cut the drink-driving limit. Ministers are considering toughening the rules in England and Wales, and could align them with Scotland where one drink can put a driver over the limit. Their proposal, to be announced on Wednesday, is the latest move by the Government to threaten pubs, following an increase in business rates, the rise in the minimum wage and the increase in employers’ National Insurance, which have brought some pubs to the brink of closure. The new measure will particularly impact rural premises, which rely on customers driving. The Telegraph is launching a campaign to save our pubs, calling on Labour to stop its assault on Britain’s locals and to cut tax and red tape. On average, one pub closed each day in 2025 and almost 2,000 have closed for good over the past five years.” – Daily Telegraph

• How Labour killed off Britain’s rural pubs – Daily Telegraph
• Britain’s pubs now face ANOTHER Labour assault as ‘death knell’ sounded for rural watering holes – GBNews
• Major blow for pubs as Labour plots to hammer drivers with one-pint limit – Daily Express
• Nanny State Labour Targets Pubs Again With Draconian New Driving Rules – Guido Fawkes

Comment:

• Our pubs are in peril. We need to save them – Telegraph View
• Starmer risks killing the great British pub – Christian May, CityAM

UK agrees to boots on the ground in Ukraine

“Britain and France have formally committed to deploying troops in Ukraine as part of a potential peace deal after President Trump agreed to defend Kyiv in the event of a future attack by Russia. Sir Keir Starmer said that an end to the four-year conflict was “closer than ever” after he signed an agreement for British forces to operate on Ukrainian soil in “military hubs across the country”. Under the plan British and French forces will help to train the Ukrainian army and oversee the construction of “protected facilities” to store weapons and military equipment that could be used to support Ukraine’s defence. The US has agreed to provide a security backstop to deter future Russian attacks and “defend” Ukraine. It said it would lead high-tech monitoring of any front line in Ukraine using sensors, drones and satellites to assess violations. Steve Witkoff, Trump’s envoy, said that the US was prepared to step in and defend Ukraine in the event of Russian attacks… However, there is little sign that President Putin is prepared to agree to any deal that would see European troops on Ukrainian soil or give up on his territorial demands to take land currently controlled by Kyiv.” – The Times

• Britain signs deal to deploy troops to Ukraine – Daily Telegraph
• Britain signs historic deal to deploy troops inside Ukraine – with Trump’s blessing – The Independent
• UK and France would send troops to Ukraine in event of peace deal, Starmer says after Paris talks – BBC News
• ‘UK will establish military hubs across Ukraine’ in the event of a ceasefire deal says Sir Keir Starmer – Sky News

Comment:

• The days of relying on America to guarantee peace in Europe are finished – Lisa Haseldine, Daily Telegraph
• This is the only way to fix Britain’s defence conundrum – Jeremy Warner, Daily Telegraph

News in brief:

• Labour is wrecking the British economy – Julian Jessop, The Critic
• Britain will struggle to put ‘boots on the ground’ in Ukraine – Eliot Wilson, The Spectator
• Police failure over Maccabi fans hands victory to Islamists – Limor Simhony Philpott, UnHerd
• Could 2026 be the year of Kemi Badenoch? – Oliver Dean, CapX