Health Secretary Wes Streeting has declared he will be "horrified" if the chief constable of West Midlands Police remains in his job by the end of the day, intensifying the political pressure over a controversial football match ban.
Mounting Pressure Over Misleading Evidence
Mr Streeting said he was "absolutely shocked" that Chief Constable Craig Guildford had not resigned following a damning preliminary review into his force's handling of a decision to bar supporters of Israeli football team Maccabi Tel Aviv from attending a match at Aston Villa's Villa Park in November. The Health Secretary's intervention adds to the demand for Mr Guildford's departure, after Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated she had lost confidence in him.
The policing watchdog found that "confirmation bias" influenced the intelligence-gathering process leading to the ban. Crucially, Mr Guildford was forced to apologise for giving incorrect evidence to MPs, initially blaming a Google search before admitting the erroneous information came from an "AI hallucination" during the use of an AI tool.
A 'Stain on Character' and a Political Standoff
Speaking to Times Radio on Thursday, 15 January 2026, Mr Streeting delivered a blistering assessment. "I genuinely thought that, having misled Parliament, that having misled the public, and having had one of his own local MPs, the Home Secretary, saying she had lost confidence in him, I honestly thought that anyone with integrity would at that point say, 'I have to resign'," he stated.
He added: "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. I hope he does the right thing. I will be horrified if he is still in post at the end of the day."
The power to dismiss the chief constable lies with the Labour Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for the West Midlands, Simon Foster. On Wednesday, Mr Foster declined to sack Mr Guildford, stating he wanted to give "all these issues full and proper consideration" while awaiting a report from the Home Affairs Select Committee.
Awaiting Due Process and Future Reforms
PCC Foster acknowledged the "significant strength of feeling" but emphasised the need to act "in accordance with due process and the law at all times." He has scheduled a public meeting of his accountability board for 27 January, where he intends to question the chief constable.
In a significant parallel development, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told MPs she would move to restore ministerial powers to dismiss police force leaders, a power that was removed under reforms introduced by the Conservative government in 2011. This underscores the government's frustration with the current accountability mechanisms in this high-profile case.
The preliminary review by His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary highlighted several inaccuracies in a police report, including a reference to a non-existent fixture between Maccabi Tel Aviv and West Ham. As the political and procedural drama unfolds, the future of the West Midlands Police's top officer hangs in the balance.
