A senior Cabinet minister has declared he will be 'horrified' if the chief constable of West Midlands Police remains in his position by the end of the day, intensifying the political pressure for his resignation.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting expressed his shock that Craig Guildford is still leading the force following a highly critical preliminary watchdog review. The review examined the controversial decision to ban supporters of Israeli football club Maccabi Tel Aviv from attending a match at Aston Villa's Villa Park in November last year.
Watchdog Finds 'Confirmation Bias' in Decision
The preliminary review by His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary found that 'confirmation bias' influenced West Midlands Police's intelligence gathering, which led to the ban. The report also identified several 'inaccuracies' in a document presented to Birmingham's safety advisory group.
One notable error was the reference to a non-existent fixture between Maccabi Tel Aviv and West Ham United. In evidence to MPs, Mr Guildford initially stated this misinformation came from a Google search. However, in a letter to the Home Affairs Committee published on Wednesday 14 January 2026, he clarified the mistake was the result of using an AI tool, which he described as an 'AI hallucination'.
Mr Guildford has since apologised, stating: 'I would like to offer my profound apology to the committee for this error. My belief that this was the case was honestly held and there was no intention to mislead.'
Mounting Political Pressure to Resign
The controversy has triggered a significant political backlash. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has already stated she has lost confidence in the chief constable's ability to lead. She told MPs on Wednesday that 'the ultimate responsibility for the force’s failure... rests with the chief constable.'
Despite this, the power to dismiss Mr Guildford lies with the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Simon Foster. Mr Foster, a Labour official, declined to sack the chief constable on Wednesday, saying he wanted to await the outcome of a parliamentary inquiry and give the matter 'full and proper consideration'.
Mr Foster plans to question Mr Guildford at a public meeting of his accountability board on 27 January.
Ministerial Fury and Calls for Integrity
Speaking to Times Radio on Thursday 15 January 2026, Wes Streeting did not hold back in his criticism. 'Bluntly, I am absolutely shocked that he is still in post,' he said.
'I honestly thought that anyone with integrity would at that point say, 'I have to resign'. The fact he hasn't, I really think, is a stain on his character that, if he doesn't act quickly, he won't be able to remove,' Mr Streeting added.
He concluded with a stark warning: 'I hope he does the right thing. I will be horrified if he is still in post at the end of the day.'
In a related development, Home Secretary Mahmood announced her intention to restore ministerial powers to dismiss police force heads, a power that was removed under reforms introduced by the Conservative government in 2011.
