In an extraordinary public denunciation, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has declared she has lost all confidence in West Midlands Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford, stating she would sack him if she had the power. The blistering attack in the House of Commons marks the most severe criticism of a serving police chief by a Home Secretary in over twenty years.
A 'Devastating' Report Exposes Lies and Confirmation Bias
The confrontation stems from a damning independent report by Sir Andy Cooke, the Chief Inspector of Constabulary, into West Midlands Police's decision to ban visiting fans of Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv from a match against Aston Villa last November. Sir Andy's findings lay bare a culture of deceit, exaggeration, and cover-up within the force.
Rather than following evidence, the report concludes the force was driven by 'confirmation bias'. Officers went looking for information to support their pre-existing assumption that Maccabi fans were a problem. They seized upon a match in Amsterdam in November 2024, which saw violence outside the stadium, as a 'golden excuse' for the ban. The police wilfully ignored subsequent peaceful fixtures the club played in Greece, Norway, Turkey, and Ukraine.
Sir Andy's report systematically dismantles WMP's claims about the Amsterdam disturbance, striking a red pen through eight key assertions. He states the force made 'exaggerated or simply untrue' claims about who was responsible. The reality was that Maccabi fans were attacked by local Muslim gangs, not the other way around as WMP had alleged.
Misleading the Public and a 'Brazen' Defence
Perhaps more egregious was how the force hoodwinked the public with misleading statements about the threat from Maccabi supporters. This was done despite WMP's own intelligence indicating the real danger came from elements within the local Muslim community who were planning violent attacks.
Chief Constable Guildford's response to the scandal has been described as 'brazen'. When questioned by the Home Affairs Committee last week about why this crucial intelligence was not submitted, he suggested it was the MPs' fault for not asking for it. In a separate hearing, he initially denied his force used artificial intelligence to gather evidence, only to later admit an officer had used an AI tool to search for previous Maccabi matches. This search yielded a fictitious fixture with West Ham United, highlighting a shocking lack of basic fact-checking.
Mounting Pressure and a Refusal to Resign
Despite the Home Secretary's unprecedented public loss of confidence and the devastating findings of Sir Andy Cooke's report, Craig Guildford remains in his post as of this writing. Political and public pressure is mounting for him to step down. The convention is clear: when a Home Secretary tells the nation you are 'not fit to wear the badge', there is little dignified recourse but to resign.
His determination to cling to his position, despite the report exposing systemic failures and dishonesty under his command, is seen by many as a final act that further shames the uniform he wears. The scandal continues to rock one of the UK's largest police forces, raising serious questions about accountability and integrity in policing.
