Craig Guildford, who stepped down as Chief Constable of West Midlands Police in January amid a political storm over his force’s handling of the Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban, has been paid £57,800 following his retirement from the role.
Guildford left the force on 16 January 2026, days after Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told the House of Commons she had lost confidence in his leadership.
His departure came in the wake of a Home Affairs Select Committee inquiry into West Midlands Police’s recommendation to bar Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from Villa Park for the club’s Europa League fixture against Aston Villa on 6 November 2025.
The committee concluded that the force had relied on intelligence that was exaggerated and inaccurate, and that it had failed to properly consult Birmingham’s Jewish community before recommending the ban to the council’s Safety Advisory Group.
Guildford separately admitted to MPs that a claim included in police intelligence, referencing a fictitious fixture between Maccabi Tel Aviv and West Ham, had been generated using Microsoft Copilot, an AI tool. This came after he had earlier told the committee, incorrectly, that his force had not used artificial intelligence at all.
The Payment
According to the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner’s office, the £57,800 sum represents three months’ pay in lieu of notice, along with outstanding leave that Guildford had accrued, payments it says he was contractually entitled to.
A spokesperson for the PCC’s office said there was no mechanism available to prevent a chief constable from retiring or resigning, and that the alternative, Guildford remaining in post and drawing his salary through a notice period lasting until April 2026, would not have served the public interest.
The spokesperson said Guildford “received no more than the bare minimum he was contractually entitled to,” and described his immediate retirement as “the most efficient and cost-effective outcome” that “ensured continuity of operational leadership within West Midlands Police.”
Political Reaction
The payout has drawn sharp criticism from politicians and campaigners, who argue it rewards a chief constable who left office in disgrace.
Nick Timothy, the Conservative Party’s Shadow Justice Secretary, condemned the payment as amounting to a “reward for failure.” He said:
“It is a disgrace that Craig Guildford has walked away with such a huge payout. On his watch, under pressure from Islamists and anti-Semites, West Midlands Police lied to justify banning Israeli fans from Villa Park.”
Labour MP David Taylor also criticised the sum, calling it “a truly shocking case of reward for failure” and demanding that West Midlands Police “explain this decision immediately.”
William Yarwood of the TaxPayers’ Alliance warned that police forces should not treat the public purse as a source of exit payments for departing chiefs, saying taxpayers “should not be used as a cash machine for police chiefs leaving under a cloud.” He added that the payout “will look to many like a golden goodbye for failure at a time when confidence in policing is already on the floor.”
Background
Guildford, 52, had led West Midlands Police since December 2022. He did not offer an apology when announcing his retirement, instead attributing his decision to what he called the “political and media frenzy” surrounding him and his position.
The row originated in intelligence assessments citing disorder involving some Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters in Amsterdam a year earlier, ahead of a match against Ajax. Dutch police have since said that provocation in that incident came from both sides, undermining the basis on which West Midlands Police had recommended excluding away fans from the Villa Park fixture.
What do you think? Was Craig Guildford’s £57,800 payout a fair and necessary contractual settlement, or should the public purse be closed to police chiefs who leave under this kind of scrutiny? Let us know in the comments.
