By Geraint Hughes

The Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has told MPs in the Commons that she “has no confidence” in Craig Guildford as Chief Constable of West Midlands Police following the decision last October to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending their Europa League fixture at Aston Villa.

Guildford’s position is in doubt following the fallout from the force’s decision to advise the Safety Advisory Group to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters.

However, the Home Secretary cannot sack the Chief Constable directly – only a Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) can.

In a statement, West Midlands PCC Simon Foster said he listened to Mahmood’s statement on Wednesday and awaits a parliamentary report over the matter before considering the position of Guildford.

“I acknowledge, recognise and understand the significant strength of feeling that is shared by many people, including myself, in connection with this contentious issue,” Mr Foster said.

“It is my statutory duty to hold the chief constable to account for the totality of policing in the West Midlands.

“In order to give all these issues full and proper consideration, I will be taking this matter to a meeting of my accountability and governance board, held in public, on Tuesday 27 January 2026 and asking questions of the chief constable.

“In consideration of these matters, it is vital that all involved act in accordance with due process and the law at all times.”

He added that the letter is not the final watchdog report and described how Sir Andy’s views “may develop or change as more information is gathered”.

Guildford apologised to MPs for giving them an error in evidence, which arose from the use of artificial intelligence over the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans.

West Midlands Police says it will take “immediate action” to rectify problems identified in an investigation into what led the fans to be banned.

The statement from the force said: “We continue to actively engage and support HMICFRS’s (His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services) inspection. We have received a copy of the preliminary review today and acknowledge that this recognises the unintentional nature of our errors. We are extremely sorry for the impact these have had on individuals and their communities.

“We are taking immediate action to address the matters raised in these preliminary findings. We know that mistakes were made but reiterate the findings that none of this was done with an intent of deliberate distortion or discrimination.

“West Midlands Police is an anti-discriminatory organisation and our planning for this football match was always about public safety of all communities.

“We continue to focus on protecting the public of West Midlands and improving our services, as we have done relentlessly during the last several years.

“We will now work tirelessly to rebuild confidence in West Midlands Police.”

Force leaders have been under fire over the decision to ban supporters of the Israeli football team from attending a Europa League match against Aston Villa on November 6.

Guildford wrote to the Home Affairs Committee to apologise for the mistake, after he appeared twice to give evidence over the controversy.

In a report to the Birmingham City Council Safety Advisory Group over whether to prevent supporters from attending the game, West Midlands Police referenced a match between the Israeli club and West Ham that never happened.

In a letter to committee chairwoman Dame Karen Bradley, the senior police figure said evidence given to the committee by himself and assistant chief constable Mike O’Hara that wrong intelligence over a West Ham match with Maccabi Tel Aviv was because a Google search was incorrect.

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

Guildford wrote: “Both ACC O’Hara and I had, up until Friday afternoon, understood that the West Ham match had only been identified through the use of Google.

“I would like to offer my profound apology to the Committee for this error, both on behalf of myself and that of ACC O’Hara.

“I had understood and been advised that the match had been identified by way of a Google search in preparation for attending HAC.

“My belief that this was the case was honestly held and there was no intention to mislead the Committee.”

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

The decision by the SAG – which is made up of representatives from the council, police and other authorities – sparked political outrage, including from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

Since then, doubts have been growing over the intelligence used by police, including disputes over the accuracy of information.

Guildford has insisted the decision was not politically influenced.