The Chief Constable of West Midlands Police, Craig Guildford, is set to announce his retirement following intense political pressure and a damning official review into his force's decision to ban fans of an Israeli football team from a match in Birmingham.
A Damning Report and a Loss of Confidence
This development comes after Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told MPs she had 'no confidence' in Mr Guildford. Her statement was based on a critical report by chief inspector of constabulary Sir Andy Cooke, which investigated the controversial intelligence that led to the ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters attending a Europa League fixture against Aston Villa on 6 November.
Ms Mahmood addressed the Commons on Wednesday, stating the report revealed 'a failure of leadership' and exhibited 'confirmation bias' in the decision-making process. She expressed frustration that reforms from 2011 meant she could not dismiss Mr Guildford herself, with that power resting instead with the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Simon Foster.
Fabricated Evidence and 'AI Hallucinations'
Sir Andy's review uncovered eight serious inaccuracies in the police report presented to Birmingham's Safety Advisory Group (SAG), which ultimately barred the fans on safety grounds. The most striking error was a reference to a non-existent football match between Tel Aviv and West Ham United, which was found to be an 'AI hallucination' generated by the Microsoft Copilot tool.
Other fabricated or exaggerated claims in the police intelligence included:
- Overstating the number of Dutch police officers deployed at a related match.
- Falsely claiming fans had links to the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF).
- Alleging that Muslim communities had been intentionally targeted by the fans.
- Incorrect reports of multiple Dutch police officers being injured.
Mounting Political Pressure to Resign
Following the report's publication, senior government figures publicly demanded Mr Guildford's resignation. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he was 'absolutely shocked' the Chief Constable remained in post and that his failure to quit was 'a stain on his character'.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy also told the Commons she was 'astonished' he had not yet stepped down. Despite this pressure, PCC Simon Foster declined to dismiss Mr Guildford on Wednesday, opting to await the outcome of a parliamentary inquiry.
However, the sustained scrutiny has now led to Mr Guildford's decision to retire. It is understood that Simon Foster will formally announce the retirement at 4pm on Friday 16 January 2026.
