Disgraced West Midlands Police chief received £58k 'golden goodbye' when he retired on full pension after misleading MPs and public over Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban

By JON BRADY, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 17:27, 17 July 2026 | Updated: 17:27, 17 July 2026 Disgraced West Midlands Police chief Craig Guildford was handed almost £58,000 in leaving pay after retiring in the wake of the Maccabi Tel Aviv scandal. The 52-year-old's payout has been decried as a 'golden goodbye for failure' by campaigners for responsible public spending. Mr Guildford, who was on a salary of £220,800 a year, fell on his sword in January after misleading MPs and the public over a report that was used to justify banning Israeli football fans from a Europa League fixture against Aston Villa last November. Following the match it emerged the report contained AI-generated falsehoods concerning the behaviour of the Israeli fanbase; a watchdog found the ban had been justified with 'exaggerated and untrue' intelligence. Mr Guildford erroneously told Parliament the report used to justify the banning of Israeli fans from the match was based on a 'very careful assessment (of) information and intelligence'. Amidst enormous public pressure, he eventually quit on January 16 after losing the confidence of the Home Secretary. As well as receiving his full pension, it has since emerged that he was also handed £57,800 in lieu of working his notice, according to West Midlands Police's draft accounts for the last year.  William Yarwood, of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said taxpayers 'should not be used as a cash machine for police chiefs leaving under a cloud'. Craig Guildford was given £58,000 in leaving pay after he retired early following the Maccabi Tel Aviv scandal, it has emerged (pictured in August 2025) Mr Guildford erroneously told Parliament the report used to justify the banning of Israeli fans from the match was based on a 'very careful assessment (of) information and intelligence' He added: 'A £58,000 loss-of-office payout will look to many like a golden goodbye for failure at a time when confidence in policing is already on the floor. 'Police bosses must publish the full justification for this payment and prove taxpayers have not been forced to bankroll an establishment stitch-up.' Former Labour minister and antisemitism campaigner Lord Austin branded the payout 'shocking', adding that Mr Guildford 'should not have had a penny'. The briefing that led to the chief constable's downfall placed a large focus on the threat allegedly presented by Maccabi fans to locals in Birmingham, rather than locals who threatened to 'arm themselves' against Jewish football supporters. It contained allegations of poor conduct on the part of Maccabi fans in the Netherlands in 2024, falsely claiming that they threw local people into the river, 'attacked community members' and had links to the Israel Defence Forces. It also made reference to a match between Maccabi and West Ham that, it later emerged, had not taken place, having been effectively dreamt up by Microsoft's Copilot AI software - a phenomenon known as a 'hallucination'. West Midlands Police, a report later found, was the 'main driver' of the decision to exclude Maccabi fans, citing a risk of disorder as had been alleged in Amsterdam and the erroneous information about the fictitious West Ham game.  It also emerged that Mr Guildford had briefed the Home Secretary that the Israeli team's supporters were likely to be banned before the local safety advisory group had made a formal decision. The game went ahead with 15,000 empty seats and deserted away fan zones - though 700 police officers stood guard outside Villa Park as undeterred Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were met by pro-Palestinian activists in the stadium grounds. Appearing before MPs last year Mr Guildford initially said details of the match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and West Ham had come from a Google search and denied that it had been conceived by an AI program. However, he later admitted the information had come from Copilot, but that he had not been told this at the time.  In February. a parliamentary committee concluded that the debacle had 'caused serious damage to trust in West Midlands Police, particularly among the local Jewish community'. The Mail understands that three months' pay was baked into the chief constable's contract, regardless of the circumstances of his exit, and those with knowledge of the payment deny it is a 'golden goodbye'. It has been suggested that any effort to deprive Guildford of his pay would involve a costly legal battle that would ultimately be detrimental to the taxpayer.  West Midlands Police declined to comment, directing the Mail's enquiries to the force's Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster.  Thousands of seats in Villa Park sat empty as the game went ahead with only home supporters inside However, Maccabi fans turned up undeterred - and protested outside the stadium while 700 police officers kept them separate from a pro-Palestine mob A spokesperson for Mr Foster said the PCC was effectively powerless to prevent Guildford from quitting, and that he was bound by law to receive his contractual final pay package. 'There is no mechanism via which a Police and Crime Commissioner can prevent a Chief Constable retiring or resigning,' the spokesman said. 'The Commissioner has to act in accordance with due process and the law. Mr Guildford was legally entitled to 3 months' pay in lieu of notice, plus any outstanding leave. He received no more than the bare minimum he was contractually entitled to. 'The alternative was for Mr Guildford to remain in post until April 2026, work his 3-month notice period, and be paid his salary as Chief Constable, continuing to make operational decisions and lead the force. 'This would clearly not have been in the interests of the public or West Midlands Police. 'Retirement with immediate effect was both the most efficient and cost-effective outcome and ensured continuity of operational leadership within West Midlands Police.'