West Midlands Police boss's future hangs in the balance as the Home Secretary says she has ‘no confidence’ in him and he is urged to stand down

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told MPs that findings by the policing watchdog into the force’s controversial intelligence gathering show “confirmation bias” over the decision to bar Israeli football team Maccabi Tel Aviv from attending Villa Park in November.

Addressing the Commons on Wednesday, Ms Mahmood said there had been “a failure of leadership” and that the report by chief inspector of constabulary Sir Andy Cooke had been “damning”.

She said: “The force [West Midlands Police], we now discover, conducted little engagement with the Jewish community and none with the Jewish community in Birmingham before a decision was taken.”

She said Sir Andy’s report found that “rather than follow the evidence, the force sought only the evidence to support their desired position to ban the fans”.

“He shows that the police overstated the threat posed by the Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, while understating the risk that was posed to the Israeli fans if they travelled to the area,” she said.

“Misleading communications also extend to the words of the chief constable himself at his appearance in front of the Home Affairs Select Committee, when he claimed that AI tools were not used to prepare intelligence reports, a claim since refuted by one of his own officers, who blames incorrect evidence on an ‘AI hallucination’.

“What is clear from this report is that on an issue of huge significance to the Jewish community in this country and to us all, we have witnessed a failure of leadership that has harmed the reputation and eroded public confidence.”

‘The Chief Constable of West Midlands Police no longer has my confidence’

She added: “The ultimate responsibility for the force’s failure to discharge its duties on a matter of such national importance rests with the chief constable, and it is for that reason that I must declare today that the chief constable of West Midlands Police no longer has my confidence.”

Ms Mahmood also expressed frustration that she was not able to sack chief constable Craig Guildford herself, a power she said was removed from the home secretary’s remit during the coalition government’s reforms which introduced police and crime commissioners in 2011.

She vowed to introduce new statutory powers allowing a home secretary to force the resignation of chief constables on the grounds of their performance.

‘For the sake of the West Midlands the Chief Constable should stand down’

Following her statement, the Labour leader of Birmingham City Council called for Mr Guildford to stand down.

Councillor John Cotton wrote on social media: “For the sake of the city and region confidence needs to be restored in the leadership of West Midlands Police, so that lessons can be learned and implemented.

“I believe that the Chief Constable should stand down so that this vital work can begin at once.”

Ms Mahmood added that Sir Andy’s report was “devastating” and that West Midlands Police “inadvertently made things worse for community relations” which must “serve as a lesson to police forces across the country”.

Mr Guildford has faced mounting pressure and calls to resign over increasing scrutiny over the ban.

Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were barred from travelling to the game at Villa Park by the local Safety Advisory Group (Sag), which cited safety concerns based on advice from the police force.

Sir Andy’s review found eight “inaccuracies” in a report from the force to Birmingham’s Sag, including a reference to a non-existent game between Tel Aviv and West Ham, found to be an “AI hallucination” produced by Microsoft Copilot.

Other inaccuracies included overstating the number of Dutch police officers deployed during the match, claims fans were linked to the Israeli Defence Forces, claims Muslim communities had been intentionally targeted by Tel Aviv fans and reports of multiple Dutch police officers being injured in the disorder.

The decision by the Sag – which is made up of representatives from the council, police and other authorities – sparked political outrage, including from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

Mr Guildford has insisted the decision was not politically influenced.

The policing watchdog’s review said there is “no evidence” antisemitism played a part in the force’s decision to ban the Israeli team’s fans, but added there was an “imbalance” in the information the force used to inform its decision.

Sir Andy said West Midlands Police lacked the foresight to “recognise the long-term, global consequences”.

Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Guildford apologised to MPs for giving them an error in evidence, after he appeared twice before the Home Affairs Committee over the controversy.

Victim of a ‘witch hunt’

However not everyone agreed with the criticisms levied at West Midlands Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford is the victim of a “witch hunt,” the local MP has claimed.

Ayoub Khan, whose Birmingham Perry Barr constituency covers Villa Park, from which Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were banned, told the Commons: “This is truly a sad day for British politics.

“Despite all the rhetoric we have heard in this House, Brummies know the truth: that this is nothing but a witch hunt, and the Chief Constable is being thrown under the bus.

“The Home Secretary knows all too well that West Midlands Police have a reputation for working with all communities. They have never caved into community pressure.”

He was met with shouts of “disgraceful” from the Conservatives, as he said the police “did their job and now are being punished for it”.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood responded: “I’ll tell you what every Brummie and indeed every citizen of our great country needs and deserves, that when the police carry out a risk assessment, that we can trust it and that we can rely on it, and they will be open about what is really going on. That is not what happened in this case.”

The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) also called for the West Midlands Police chief constable to resign, or be sacked if he refuses to stand down.

Gideon Falter, chief executive of the CAA said: “This report confirms what we have all known: West Midlands Police chiefs victim-blamed Jews, lied repeatedly and then attempted a cover up.

“Their story has now unravelled and clearly the chief constable and, I emphasise, also other police chiefs in the force must be fired if they do not resign. This is an institutional problem, not a crisis about one man.

“As for Craig Guildford himself, he may have committed the offence of misconduct in public office, and this report should be passed to the Crown Prosecution Service for expedited consideration. Since the Home Secretary cannot dismiss him, that duty now falls to Simon Foster, the West Midlands police and crime commissioner, who should delay no further.”

He called for action against “Islamist intimidation” of the police, adding: “What has happened in Birmingham is a test case for the British state. It is no exaggeration to say that what happens next could well determine the future health of British society if we do not stand up to blatant radicalism like this.”