The chief constable who relied on what an official report later described as “exaggerated and untrue” intelligence to justify banning Israeli football supporters from a Premier League match was clinging to his post on Wednesday, despite an unprecedented public rebuke from the home secretary.
Craig Guildford, head of West Midlands Police, has no immediate plans to step downaccording to sources familiar with his thinking, even after Shabana Mahmood formally withdrew her confidence in his leadership. The confrontation marks the first time in two decades that a home secretary has declared a loss of confidence in a serving chief constable.
The dispute follows a damning report into the force’s handling of intelligence used to support the decision to bar Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending a match against Aston Villa in Birmingham last November. The review, led by Sir Andy Cooke, the chief inspector of constabulary, found that the perceived threat posed by the Israeli supporters had been significantly overstated.
Addressing MPs, Mahmood said she lacked the legal authority to dismiss Guildford, but argued the law should be changed to restore the home secretary’s power to remove chief constables. Such a move would be contentious, particularly with Reform currently polling strongly and openly calling for tighter political control over policing.
Cooke’s report identified multiple failures in how intelligence was gathered and assessed by West Midlands Police. It concluded that inaccurate and misleading information left the match’s safety advisory group with “little or no option” but to impose a ban on away supporters.
The errors were attributed to confirmation bias and carelessness, rather than deliberate manipulation or antisemitic intent. The report also dismissed claims that the force had bowed to political pressure from local groups protesting Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Responsibility, however, was firmly laid at the door of senior leadership. Mahmood was blunt in her assessment, telling Parliament that Guildford should have ensured “professional and thorough” oversight of intelligence on an event of national significance. Quoting Cooke, she said the failures reflected a force that lacked strategic grip at the highest levels.
“The ultimate responsibility rests with the chief constable,” she said. “For that reason, I must declare that Craig Guildford no longer has my confidence.”
One senior policing source described Guildford as a “dead man walking”, saying investigators were stunned by the scale and simplicity of the errors uncovered.
Despite the political pressure, only one person has the authority to remove Guildford from office: Simon Foster, the West Midlands police and crime commissioner. Foster has previously credited the chief constable with improving performance and public service, but said he would weigh Cooke’s findings alongside a second inspection report and an inquiry by MPs on the home affairs committee. Guildford is also expected to face public questioning on 27 January.
Those close to the chief constable say he does not believe the home secretary’s intervention requires an immediate resignation. He intends to await Foster’s decision on whether to begin formal dismissal proceedings. While the force maintains that its actions were motivated by public safety, it has acknowledged that serious lessons must be learned.
A central plank of the police case for banning the fans was information allegedly supplied by Dutch police concerning a Maccabi Tel Aviv match in Amsterdam in 2024. West Midlands officers believed Maccabi supporters had instigated violence. Cooke’s report found this assessment was incorrect and, crucially, contradicted by information already in the force’s possession.
Evidence from Dutch police, revealed earlier this week, proved particularly damaging. Officers in the Netherlands disputed several claims attributed to them, undermining the credibility of the intelligence presented to the safety advisory group.
Mahmood said the engagement with Dutch authorities was among the most troubling aspects of the report. She said details provided to the advisory group were inaccurate, including claims about police deployment, alleged links between fans and the Israel Defence Forces, attacks on Muslim communities, assaults on police and taxi drivers, and the tearing down of Palestinian flags. Many of these allegations were either inflated or entirely false.
The safety group was even told that Maccabi fans had thrown Muslims into a river. In reality, an Israeli supporter had been pushed into the water, a fact British police were aware of after reviewing official Dutch reports.
Cooke concluded that West Midlands Police overstated the threat posed by the visiting fans while downplaying the danger to them, despite intelligence suggesting some individuals in Birmingham were preparing to arm themselves.
Guildford has apologised for another glaring error: the inclusion of intelligence relating to a Maccabi match against West Ham that never took place. One officer described the mistake as an “AI hallucination”.
In a statement, West Midlands Police said mistakes had been made but insisted there was no intent to mislead or discriminate. “Our planning was always focused on public safety for all communities,” the force said.
Community leaders and politicians have reacted sharply. Ruth Jacobs, chair of the Birmingham and West Midlands Jewish Community, said many would feel it was the right moment for Guildford to step aside. Both the leader of Birmingham City Council and the West Midlands mayor, Richard Parker, said his position was no longer sustainable.
Parker said public trust had been severely damaged by shifting explanations and withdrawn evidence. “Transparency and accountability are essential to policing,” he said. “I do not believe the chief constable’s position is tenable.”
The government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, Lord Mann, echoed the call, saying misleading a safety committee was incompatible with senior public office.
Not all voices agree. Ayoub Khan, the independent MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, said Guildford was being subjected to a “witch hunt” and unfairly scapegoated. He insisted the force had a strong record of working across communities and had not capitulated to external pressure.
The Israeli embassy said Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters were owed a formal apology and called for concrete measures to ensure such a situation is not repeated. “We are encouraged that the truth is now coming to light,” it said, welcoming renewed commitments to transparency, accountability and the restoration of public trust.
