Home secretary Shabana Mahmood says he has no confidence in police chief after Maccabi Tel Aviv football fan ban

The home secretary has said she no longer has confidence in the chief constable of West Midlands Police after a "damning" report into the force's decision to ban Israeli football fans from attending a game in the UK.

Shabana Mahmood told MPs a review by a police watchdog into the force showed "confirmation bias" over the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from attending the match at Villa Park in November.

Ms Mahmood also expressed frustration that she was not able to sack chief constable Craig Guildford herself.

The home secretary does not have the power to hire or fire chief constables, as this is now held by police and crime commissioners - a role being scrapped by the government.

Ms Mahmood said new statutory powers allowing a home secretary to force the resignation of chief constables on the grounds of their performance are planned.

Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Guildford apologised to MPs for giving them "erroneous" evidence about the decision to ban Maccabi fans, blaming the use of AI.

The police force announced in October that supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv would not be able to attend the club's match against Aston Villa in Birmingham the following month, due to safety concerns.