Home Secretary 'no longer has confidence' in West Midlands Police boss

Shabana Mahmood no longer has confidence in the chief constable of West Midlands Police in the wake of the Maccabi Tel Aviv scandal, she told MPs today.

The Home Secretary said the findings of a report into Craig Guildford's force were 'damning' and 'devastating'.

In a statement to the House of Commons she said its findings showed West Midlands Police 'sought only the evidence to support their desired position: to ban the fans'.

She said the force had put 'further misinformation into our public debate'.

Her explosive remarks leave Mr Guildford in an almost untenable position. 

The Home Secretary commissioned a review of West Midlands Police's actions from His Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services Sir Andy Cooke, with his interim findings published today. 

Ms Mahmood told MPs: '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.

'It has been, as I understand it, over 20 years since a home secretary last made such a statement, but on the evidence provided by Sir Andy Cooke, the chief inspector of policing, that is now the case.'

She added that Sir Andy Cooke’s report was 'devastating'.

'It catalogues failures that did not just affect the travelling fans, they let down our entire Jewish community in the West Midlands and across the country.'

It came after the chief constable apologised to MPs for giving them an error in evidence over the decision to ban supporters of the Israeli football team from attending a Europa League match against Aston Villa on November 6.

In a letter to committee chairwoman Dame Karen Bradley, Mr Guildford said that evidence given to the committee by himself and Assistant Chief Constable Mike O'Hara that wrong intelligence over a West Ham United match with Maccabi Tel Aviv was because of a Google search was incorrect.

Instead, the 'erroneous result' arose from the use of the artificial intelligence tool Microsoft Copilot.

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

This included a reference by the force to a match between the Israeli club and West Ham United that never happened.

Ms Mahmood said in her statement: 'Sir Andy’s findings are damning.

'There is no other way to describe them.

'The force, we now discover, conducted little engagement with the Jewish community and none with the Jewish community in Birmingham before a decision was taken.

'As Sir Andy himself says, it is no excuse to claim, as the force now does, that there were high holy days during this time that prevented this engagement.

'Most concerningly, Sir Andy describes an approach taken by West Midlands Police that he characterises as – and I quote – “confirmation bias”.

'This means that rather than follow the evidence the force sought only the evidence to support their desired position: to ban the fans.'

She summarised how the force had 'over-stated the threat posed by the Maccabi Tel Aviv fans while under-stating the risk that was posed to the Israeli fans if they travelled to the area'.

Mr Guildford have what she described as 'misleading communications' to the Commons' Home Affairs Select Committee over the AI error, she went on.

The Home Secretary said: '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 in West Midlands Police and policing more broadly.

'Faced by a game of such importance, the Chief Constable of the force, Craig Guildford, should have ensured more professional and thorough work was done.

'The ultimate responsibility for the force’s failure to discharge its duties on a matter of such national importance rests with the Chief Constable.'

She condemned the force's handling of the football fixture as a 'grossly misguided effort', adding: 'In a world in which misinformation flows freely and dangerously the police, in this case, added further misinformation into our public debate when they could and should have provided the truth that could have allayed fears.

'In doing so, West Midlands Police did not support community relations.

'Instead, they inadvertently made things worse.'

The Home Secretary said she does not have the power to directly sack a chief constable, under reforms introduced in 2011.

Instead, the power to do so now lies with local police and crime commissioners (PCCs).

Ms Mahmood announced that her forthcoming police reforms will re-introduce powers for a home secretary to directly remove a police chief 'in light of significant or persistent failings'.

'I do not expect this power to be used often,' she said, 'but I think it must be available at those rare moments when it is warranted.'

But Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp urged her to use existing powers which allow her to 'direct' PCCs to remove a chief constable.

Mr Philp said it had been a 'shameful episode', adding: 'The Chief Constabel must be fired.'