West Midlands PCC ignores calls to sack chief constable now, and indicates he will take time to reach decision
Simon Foster, the Labour West Midlands police and crime commissioner (PCC), has indicated that he will not sack Craig Guildford, the chief constable, on the basis of the report out today.
In a statement, Foster says that he understands, and shares, the concerns expressed by many people about the force’s handling of the Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban. But he also signals that it would be wrong to rush to judgment.
He says he did not get the Andy Cooke report in advance, and that he wants to give it “careful and detailed consideration”.
He also points out that Cooke is due to publish a further, final report on West Midlands police, and that in his letter (or preliminary report) published today he says his views may “develop or change” as more information comes in.
He says the Commons home affairs committee has not published its report yet.
He goes on:
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.
The reference to “totality of policing” may be significance. As Vikram Dodd has reported, in some respects Guildford, who became chief constable in 2022, has a good record. The force is now solving 15% of crime, up from 3% when he took over. “Violent crime is down, and times to answer emergency calls, which were among the worst in the country, are now among the best,” Dodd says.
Key events
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Burnham says his support for Northern Powerhouse Rail plan dependent on getting more ‘fiscal devolution’ to help fund it
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West Midlands police ignores Mahmood’s call for its chief constable to quit, and says it wants to ‘rebuild confidence’
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Reeves says government ‘committing in full’ to Northern Powerhouse Rail
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Campaigners condemn MPs’ vote to ban disruptive protests outside animal testing labs on ‘key infrastructure’ grounds
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West Midlands PCC ignores calls to sack chief constable now, and indicates he will take time to reach decision
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Labour West Midlands mayor Richard Parker joins calls for chief constable to resign
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France announces ban on 10 British anti-migrant activists
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Labour leader of Birmingham city council says West Midlands chief constable should resign
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Mahmood says individual West Midlands police officers not antisemitic, but some people lobbying them may have been
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Independent MP Ayoub Khan, who seat covers Villa Park, says West Midlands chief constable victim of ‘witch-hunt’
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Mahmood says Chris Philp wrong to claim she has power to sack West Midlands chief constable herself
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Mahmood says she will legislate to ensure home secretary regains power to sack chief constables
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Mahmood says she expects West Midlands PCC to follow ‘due process’ as he decides whether to sack chief constable
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Mahmood tells MPs she now longer has confidence in West Midlands chief constable after ‘damning’ report
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Plaid Cymru have surged ahead of Reform UK in voting intention for Senedd, poll suggests
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No 10 says new Hillsborough law amendments being tabled in bid to assure relatives intelligence services not exempt
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PMQs – snap verdict
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Starmer says Reform UK’s plan to get rid of Online Safety Act ‘absolute disgrace’
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Starmer says X is now reportedly complying with UK law in relation to Grok image abuse, which he says is welcome if true
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Starmer faces Badenoch at PMQs
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Reform UK announces more than 20 councillors defecting to it, including former BBC journalist Clarence Mitchell
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Proposed ban on supply of nudification apps unlikely to cover multi-purpose tools like Grok, Liz Kendall suggests
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Miliband says wind power auction results show clean energy critics have been ‘proved wrong’
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What commentators are saying about digital ID U-turn
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Farage says digital ID U-turn ‘victory for individual liberty’
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Zack Polanski welcomes digitial ID U-turn, saying plans to reduce jury trials ‘need to go next’
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Transport Alexander Heidi Alexander rejects suggestions government has done ‘massive U-turn’ over digital ID
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West Midlands chief constable apologises to Commons committee for error in evidence over Maccabi Tel Aviv fans ban
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Reeves plays down significance of digital ID card U-turn, saying workers will still have to verify ID digitally
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Blunkett says he is ‘disappointed’ by digital ID U-turn, and blames Starmer for lack of ‘strategic plan’ to defend policy
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Tories and Lib Dems criticise Starmer’s ‘spinelessness’ after U-turn on digital ID
Burnham says his support for Northern Powerhouse Rail plan dependent on getting more ‘fiscal devolution’ to help fund it
Josh Halliday
Josh Halliday is the Guardian’s North of England editor.
After Rachel Reeves’s speech in Leeds, the Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, said he would “fight every day” for a fair funding deal for key parts of Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR).
The chancellor has put a cap of £45bn on government spending on the massive rail programme, with local leaders expected to fund key parts of the project if their share runs out.
In a similar way to how London partly funded Crossrail, now known as the Elizabeth Line, through an increase in business rates, northern regions have been told to do the same.
This is particularly an issue for Burnham because two of the most expensive parts of the rail upgrades are centred on Greater Manchester – a mostly new line to Liverpool, estimated at around £17bn, and a long-promised underground station at Manchester Piccadilly.
Speaking to reporters in Leeds, Burnham said he would demand new mayoral powers in return for part-funding these projects locally.
What I would have a problem with would be a government saying ‘you’re going to pay for all of the costs of the underground of Piccadilly’ and then give us some fairly meagre measures of fiscal devolution that basically wouldn’t be good enough to raise the level of money that they were asking for. That, that I will fight.
Burnham said he was happy to contribute funding to the projects “as long as I get real heft in terms of fiscal devolution” – such as the long-term ability to retain business rates.
Asked whether he could see “trouble ahead” in the funding arrangements, he said:
I can always envisage trouble ahead in this job. You’ve always got to plan for a bit of trouble ahead and you’ve got to fight every day haven’t you – but we will.
Ministers had feared Burnham, who has not hid his Labour leadership ambitions, could blow up the rail plans after he refused to endorse them until the weekend after months of negotiations.
He revealed on Wednesday that he had not yet signed the formal agreement with the Treasury on how NPR will be funded, saying he thought it “will be signed a little bit later down the line”.
Although he is seen by some in Downing Street as a nuisance, Burnham was otherwise happy to be singing to the same hymn sheet as Reeves and his fellow mayors on NPR. He said:
It’s great news because finally we’ve broken through that brick wall of resistance about Manchester Piccadilly.
I think we’re now on a path to that underground station that will take the limits off the northern economy that some in Whitehall were trying to put on us. So it is genuinely great news.
West Midlands police ignores Mahmood’s call for its chief constable to quit, and says it wants to ‘rebuild confidence’
And Craig Guildford has not resigned as the chief constable of West Midlands police – at least so far. The force has just issued its response to Shabana Mahmood’s statement, and the report from the Sir Andy Cooke, the chief inspector of constabulary, and there is no reference in it Guildford standing down.
In fact, there is no reference in it to Guildford at all, or to what Mahmood said about him.
Instead, West Midlands police has again apologised for “mistakes” that were made, but it says that no “deliberate distortion or discrimination” was intended.
It also says:
We will now work tirelessly to rebuild confidence in West Midlands police.
If Guildford thought his position were untenable, he would probably have resigned already. This statement suggests he thinks there is a chance of staying in post – not least because the West Midland PCC seems to be in no rush to remove him. (See 4.43pm.)
Reeves says government ‘committing in full’ to Northern Powerhouse Rail
Josh Halliday
Josh Halliday is the Guardian’s North of England editor.
Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, has been speaking at a rail depot in Leeds where she confirmed her government’s commitment to the £45bn Northern Powerhouse Rail scheme across the north of England.
Reeves, a Leeds MP, acknowledged the “understandable cynicism” about whether the programme would go ahead following years of false promises and abandoned plans.
Her visit to West Yorkshire also came on a day when the government is fending off claims of yet another U turn – this time on digital IDs.
It was inevitable, then, that Reeves would spend a chunk of her time attempting to convince northerners that this time the promises were real.
She said Labour would be “committing in full to Northern Powerhouse Rail” in the next party manifesto and that a large share of the £45bn would be allocated to the scheme in next year’s spending review.
It had been thought that the Treasury had only committed £1.1bn to the project over the this parliament – until summer 2029 at the latest – but Reeves confirmed there would be a bigger financial commitment in 2027.
Standing beside her friend Tracy Brabin, the West Yorkshire mayor, the chancellor said the north had been “let down and fed false promises and I am determined that we are now finally going to deliver”.
Campaigners condemn MPs’ vote to ban disruptive protests outside animal testing labs on ‘key infrastructure’ grounds
Haroon Siddique
Haroon Siddique is the Guardian’s legal affairs correspondent.
Campaigners have criticised MPs’ approval today of a ban on disruptive protests outside animal testing and breeding facilities.
The statutory instrument classifies life science sites, including animal testing labs and suppliers, as key infrastructure, giving police broad powers against protesters who “deliberately or recklessly” disrupt them, with penalties of up to 12 months’ imprisonment or a fine. This includes online campaigns.
The vote to amend the Public Order Act 2023 to reclassify such facilities as “key national infrastructure” was passed by 301 to 110 with the opponents including 26 Labour MPs.
Robert Pownall, founder of Protect the Wild, said:
Today is a dark day for democracy. This amendment stretches the definition of ‘key national infrastructure’ beyond recognition and does so for one reason only: to shield a controversial industry from scrutiny.
Public opposition to animal testing remains substantial, and peaceful protest has a long and legitimate history in driving ethical and scientific progress. This vote effectively removes people’s right to express moral, scientific, or ethical objections without fear of criminalisation.
Cruelty Free International condemned the draft regulations as “illiberal, draconian, unnecessary, and almost certainly unlawful”.
It added:
Criminalising peaceful protest against animal research undermines fundamental freedoms and public accountability. The House of Lords must reject it.
Existing police powers already address protest-related concerns and there is no evidence that these are inadequate. No consultation has taken place with animal protection or civil liberties organisations.
We are deeply disappointed that such a major change is being pursued through a process that does not allow for substantive parliamentary debate or public scrutiny.
West Midlands PCC ignores calls to sack chief constable now, and indicates he will take time to reach decision
Simon Foster, the Labour West Midlands police and crime commissioner (PCC), has indicated that he will not sack Craig Guildford, the chief constable, on the basis of the report out today.
In a statement, Foster says that he understands, and shares, the concerns expressed by many people about the force’s handling of the Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban. But he also signals that it would be wrong to rush to judgment.
He says he did not get the Andy Cooke report in advance, and that he wants to give it “careful and detailed consideration”.
He also points out that Cooke is due to publish a further, final report on West Midlands police, and that in his letter (or preliminary report) published today he says his views may “develop or change” as more information comes in.
He says the Commons home affairs committee has not published its report yet.
He goes on:
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.
The reference to “totality of policing” may be significance. As Vikram Dodd has reported, in some respects Guildford, who became chief constable in 2022, has a good record. The force is now solving 15% of crime, up from 3% when he took over. “Violent crime is down, and times to answer emergency calls, which were among the worst in the country, are now among the best,” Dodd says.
Labour West Midlands mayor Richard Parker joins calls for chief constable to resign
Richard Parker, the Labour West Midlands mayor, has also called for Craig Guildford to resign as chief constable, the BBC reports. Parker told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that confidence in West Midlands police has been “badly tested”, and trust wouldn’t be rebuilt if things remained as they are, the BBC says.
France announces ban on 10 British anti-migrant activists
France’s interior ministry has announced ban on 10 British anti-migrant activists who travelled to the country, Diane Taylor reports. Officials said they took action after reports that members of the Raise the Colours movement had conducted anti-migrant activities in France.
The full statement from the French interior ministry about this is here.
Priya Bharadia
Priya Bharadia is a Guardian reporter.
Merseyside’s police and crime commissioner Emily Spurrell has quit X as a result of the sharing and creation of sexualised imagery on Grok.
In a statement on X, Spurrell said:
From today my X account will not be updated & only used in case of a major incident.
I cannot, and will not, remain on a platform that enables or tolerates the sexualised images of children, or women without their consent.
Spurrell, who is Labour, appears to be the first PCC to leave X as a result of “nudified” images being shared and created on the platform. Several police forces have left or reduced their presence on the platform since late 2024, including West Midlands and Derbyshire police.
Labour leader of Birmingham city council says West Midlands chief constable should resign
John Cotton, the Labour leader of Birmingham city council, has said Craig Guildford should resign as chief constable of West Midlands police. In a post on social media, he said:
For the sake of the city and region confidence needs to be restored in the leadership of West Midlands Police, so that lessons can be learned and implemented. I believe that the Chief Constable should stand down so that this vital work can begin at once.
In the Commons Richard Tice, the Reform UK deputy leader, asks what would happen if Simon Foster, the West Midlands police and crime commissioner, decides not to sack Craig Guildford as chief constable. Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, said it was a decision for him, and it would be wrong for her to comment.
Tice also asked if Mahmood would give the home secretary power to sack chief constables retrospectively (ie, for something that happened before the law came into force). Mahmood said that retrospectivity is not normally a feature of UK legislation, and that it would be a very big innovation to try that. But she urged him to wait for the legislation.
The last home secretary who said they did not have confidence in a chief constable was David Blunkett. In 2001 he said he no longer had confidence in Paul Whitehouse as Sussex chief constable after a police raid that led to an unarmed man being shot dead. Whitehouse resigned.
Mahmood says individual West Midlands police officers not antisemitic, but some people lobbying them may have been
In the Commons, in reply to a question from Bradley Thomas (Con), Mahmood said:
These findings, of course, do not suggest that anybody at the police force level acted because there were motivated by antisemitism, or with malign intent.
But it is undoubtedly the case that some individuals who are making representations to the police may well have been motivated by antisemitism. I also know others made good faith representations, or wanted to make good faith representations, to the police just about the fear of public disorder on the night.
Mahmood was referring to this line from Sir Andy Cooke’s report. Cooke said:
In respect of any individual officers, the evidence I have seen doesn’t point to their actions having been influenced by political interference, antisemitism, any other lack of impartiality, or malign intent.
Independent MP Ayoub Khan, who seat covers Villa Park, says West Midlands chief constable victim of ‘witch-hunt’
In the Commons Ayoub Khan, the independent MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, which covers the Villa Park ground where the Maccabi Tel Aviv match was played, claimed that Craig Guildford, the West Midlands chief constable, was the victim of a witch-hunt.
Khan said:
This is truly a sad day for British politics. Despite all the rhetoric we have heard in this House, Brummies know the truth: that this is nothing but a witch-hunt, and the chief constable is being thrown under the bus.
The home secretary knows all too well that West Midlands police have a reputation for working with all communities. They have never caved into community pressure. We all know this because we regularly have far right protests and marches in our city.
The police could have done a better job in terms of procedure, yes, but the reasons for banning Maccabi fans was the same from day one. We all know their unashamed racism and violence. That is the reason why they were banned …
Is it worth throwing our chief constable under the bus just to show that the words of rightwing media and Dutch officials, under pressure from Amsterdam City Hall, matter more than our British police.
As Khan ended, there were calls of “disgraceful”.
In response, Shabana Mahmood said Khan should read the report from Sir Andy Cooke. (See 2.58pm.) And she said he did not speak for all Birmingham MPs. (Mahmood is MP for Birmingham Ladywood.) She said, when the police carry out a risk assessment, people should be able to be confident it is accurate.
Khan was one of the five independent MPs elected at the last election mainly or partly on a pro-Palestinian platform. Ahead of the match, he campaigned for the Maccabi Tel Aviv fixture to be cancelled, or at least played without fans present – partly because of the violent record of some Maccabi fans, but also he wanted all Israeli teams to be banned from sporting fixtures because of Israel committing “genocide” in Gaza.
Here is the report from Sir Andy Cooke, the chief inspector of constabulary, into how West Midlands police handled the decision to recommend a ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans being allowed to attend the Villa Park match.
