Only 1 in 10 people now trusts the chief of West Midlands Police.

Downing Street has said it no longer has confidence in West Midlands Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford, echoing comments made by the Home Secretary in the Commons on Wednesday.

Other senior members of the Cabinet have called on Guildford to resign or be sacked, increasing pressure on the senior official after Israeli football fans were banned from a match against Aston Villa.

It comes after Guildford apologised for providing false evidence to MPs, including twice denying that AI was used in a report that led to the ban.

In the apology, the force said it had not deliberately distorted the evidence which Birmingham’s security advisory group used to investigate the 6 November game.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said that he has lost confidence in the chief constable, following an update on the “damaging” review of the chief inspector of constabulary and what he called a “failure of leadership”.

A Number 10 spokesman said, “We have made our position clear; we no longer have confidence in the Chief Constable. The Home Secretary was very clear.”

Health Secretary Wes Streeting also said he thought it was “completely extraordinary” that the chief constable had not yet resigned.

The senior officer remained in post but faced a meeting on 27 January to be questioned by Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster, who has the power to remove them.

Asked whether Foster should sack the chief constable, Streeting said, “He’s got a process to follow and he’s got to do the right thing in the right way.”

But he added, “There are two things I find absolutely extraordinary about this situation.

“First and foremost, a chief constable misled Parliament and misled the public.

“And secondly, he did not think to act with the required integrity at that time, having lost the confidence of the Home Secretary in the terms he presented to Parliament yesterday – to tender his resignation, or at least to offer it.”

“I find it absolutely extraordinary.”

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said it was “astonishing” that Guildford still held the post of Chief Constable of West Midlands Police.

Nandy told the House of Commons that he hoped the matter would be “seriously considered”.

He said these incidents had a “chilling effect” on the Jewish community and “everyone who needs to rely on our police services across the country.”

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has named Conservative MP Nick Timothy, a vocal critic of West Midlands Police, as shadow justice secretary.

Timothy, an Aston Villa fan, also told the chief constable he was about to lose his job over the force’s security advice regarding the Maccabi match.

In a post on

it follows Dismissing former shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick over claims that he was plotting to secede from the Conservative Party.

An initial review of the force’s intelligence by the police watchdog found that “confirmation bias” influenced a decision to bar supporters of the Israeli football team from attending Villa Park in November.

Chief Inspector of Her Majesty’s Constabulary Sir Andy Cook.

Chief Inspector of Her Majesty’s Constabulary Sir Andy Cook said that a number of “inaccuracies” had been included in a report given by West Midlands Police to Birmingham’s security advisory group, including a reference to a non-existent fixture between Maccabi Tel Aviv and West Ham.

In evidence to MPs, Guildford initially suggested the misinformation was identified through a Google search or social media but said in a letter to the Home Affairs Committee (HAC) published on Wednesday that it was the result of using Microsoft Copilot, an AI tool.

Heather Murray, founder of training company AI for Non-Techies, said it was “astonishing” that authorities were allowed to use both Google and Microsoft Copilot to gather intelligence.

“None of these sources are reliable,” he said.

“Certainly they should be getting their intelligence from really good, reliable, well-researched sources.”

Independent MP Ayub Khan, whose Birmingham Perry Barr constituency includes Aston Villa’s stadium Villa Park, reiterated his call for chief constables to remain in their jobs.

At the time of the match, Khan supported plans to cancel or move it.

“Andy Cook’s report makes clear there was no political interference, and having said that, there is no evidence of anti-Semitism, and there is no lack of impartiality,” the MP said.

In his letter to Dame Karen Bradley, chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, Guildford said, “I would like to offer my deepest apologies to the committee for this error.”

“I understood and was advised that the match was identified through a Google search in preparation for attending the HAC.

“I believe the disclosure was a matter of sincerity and there was no intention to mislead the committee.”

The force has also apologised after details of Sir Andy’s findings emerged and said it would “work tirelessly to restore trust”.