Health Secretary Wes Streeting has piled pressure on West Midlands police chief Craig Guildford as calls grow on the senior officer to quit over his handling of the Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban.
Speaking to GB News, Mr Streeting said Mr Guildford should “do the right thing” and resign after misleading Parliament and the country.
Mr Streeting’s intervention follows Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s devastating Commons statement on Wednesday.
She declared the chief constable no longer commands her confidence after a “damning” report into the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from a match with Aston Villa last year.
Mr Streeting told GB News: “I think in the case of the police and crime commissioner, he has a process that he needs to follow.
“To be honest, what has shocked me is that, having misled Parliament, misled the country, and having had the Home Secretary, his boss and one of his local MPs, say she has lost confidence in him, I don’t know why he has not had the integrity or the shame to resign.
“I find that extraordinary, actually, and I don’t think anyone would have expected it.
“I genuinely thought when the Home Secretary stood up and laid out all the facts, as many brilliant journalists have exposed, I genuinely thought that she would also be announcing that she’d received his resignation, or that the police and crime commissioner had received his resignation.
“Because, I’ll tell you what, if I’d been in that position, and I suspect many of your viewers have been in that position, that’s what any of us would have done.
Wes Streeting hit out at the police chief
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GB NEWS
“I don’t expect people in public office or public service to be infallible. I don’t expect them to be perfect.
“I do expect them to be honest, I do expect them to uphold high standards, and I do expect them, when they’ve fallen so woefully short, to do the right thing and resign.
“And I’m shocked he is still in post today. I would be surprised if he’s still in post by the end of the day.”
The Home Secretary branded findings from a policing watchdog investigation as “damning” and “devastating” for the force.
Chief Constable Craig Guildford is under pressure to step down over the controversial ban of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans
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PAShe told MPs that West Midlands Police had contributed “further misinformation into our public debate”.
Ms Mahmood stated that ultimate responsibility for the force’s failure to discharge its duties on such a nationally significant matter rested with the chief constable.
Her remarks left Mr Guildford’s position widely regarded as untenable, with Birmingham City Council leader John Cotton and the Campaign Against Antisemitism among those demanding his departure.
The interim review by Sir Andy Cooke, HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary, uncovered serious failings in how senior officers justified the ban.
Inspectors determined that police leadership exhibited “confirmation bias” when reaching their decision to exclude Israeli supporters from the match. The report found that threats posed by Maccabi Tel Aviv fans had been overstated, whilst dangers facing those supporters had they travelled to Birmingham were understated.
Crucially, the force consulted Muslim communities and mosques prior to implementing the ban, yet failed to engage with Jewish community leaders. Some accounts of previous violent incidents involving the Israeli club’s supporters were found to be either “exaggerated or untrue”.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews has since called on Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster to dismiss Mr Guildford “without delay”. West Midlands Police broke its silence on Wednesday evening, issuing a statement expressing it was “extremely sorry” for the impact of its errors.
The force acknowledged that “mistakes were made” and pledged to take “immediate action” to address matters raised in the preliminary findings. However, the statement made no reference whatsoever to Mr Guildford’s future or that of any other senior officers facing criticism.
“We know that mistakes were made but reiterate the findings that none of this was done with an intent of deliberate distortion or discrimination,” the force stated.
It insisted West Midlands Police remained “an anti-discriminatory organisation” and that planning for the fixture had always centred on public safety across all communities.
The force vowed to work “tirelessly to rebuild confidence” in its services.
Despite the furore and widespread condemnation from MPs during the Commons debate, Mr Foster has declined to take immediate action against the chief constable.
The Police and Crime Commissioner, who appointed Mr Guildford two years ago, stated he would not be rushed into making a decision.