But policing chiefs confirmed he is retiring from his £220,000 a year role, prompting a fresh wave of fury and calls for the Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster, to resign as well.

It comes after Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she has lost confidence in the Chief Constable of West Midlands Police after falsified intelligence led to Maccabi Tel Aviv fans being banned from attending a match against Aston Villa.

Ms Mahmood said the force “overstated” the threat posed by Israeli football fans whilst underplaying the risk from local Islamist mobs ahead of the match.

A police watchdog probe into the scandal found the intelligence was “exaggerated” in some cases, whilst in others it was “untrue”.

Labour PCC Mr Foster initially refused to sack the Chief Constable as he attemped to cling on to power.

And Mr Guildford wanted wanted to remain in post until at least the end of the month.

But pressure continued to build after Downing Street also said it had lost confidence in him.

And Mr Foster said on Friday night: “The Chief Constable Craig Guildford has today retired from West Midlands Police with immediate effect.

“In doing so, he has acted with honour and in the best interests of West Midlands Police and our region, I welcome his decision.”

Mr Foster went on to praise Mr Guildford’s “many positive achievements” as Chief Constable.

He added: “West Midlands Police have been subjected to, understandable intense and significant oversight and scrutiny as a consequence of events that led to the recommendation it made to the safety advisory group.

“That has included the letter from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary that was published as recently as Wednesday 14 January, that set out significant preliminary concerns and shortcomings in relation to preparation and planning by West Midlands Police.

“I have today appointed Deputy Chief Constable Scott Green, as the acting Chief Constable. We have already met, to discuss the actions that the force must take to re-build trust and confidence amongst all the people and communities of the West Midlands, including addressing the significant matters identified in the letter from HMIC.”

Responding to PCC Simon Foster’s statement, the Home Secretary said: “The findings of the Chief Inspector were damning. They set out a catalogue of failings that have harmed trust in West Midlands Police.

“By stepping down, Craig Guildford has done the right thing today.

“I would like to acknowledge his years of service. And I pay tribute to the work of the officers in West Midlands Police, who keep their community safe every day.

“Today marks a crucial first step to rebuilding trust and confidence in the force amongst all the communities they serve.”

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp told the Daily Express: “Craig Guildford disgraced himself and his force.

“Allowing Islamists to force the banning of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans and then fabricating evidence to pretend the ban was because of the Maccabi fans’ own behaviour was disgraceful.

“Craig Guildford should have been fired by the Labour Police and Crime Commissioner – but he was too weak to act. Craig Guildford’s move to retire is simply not good enough.

“He should now face gross misconduct proceedings through an IOPC investigation – which can continue even after retirement or resignation. I will now be writing to the IOPC to call for this.”

Reform UK Head of Policy Zia Yusuf said: “Craig Guildford should not be allowed to retire as West Midlands Police Chief, he should be held accountable for his actions. He should have been dismissed following his abhorrent decision to ban fans from attending the Maccabi Tel Aviv match against Aston Villa last year.

“What emerged from Mr Guildford’s appearance before the select committee was extraordinary. He misled the public and capitulated to violent extremism. His position had already become untenable.

“We must not allow Islamists, thugs, or terrorists to believe they can dictate what happens on our streets.”

Gideon Falter, Chief Executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Under Craig Guildford’s leadership, West Midlands Police lied and obfuscated, victim-blaming Jews instead of taking on the Islamists.

“His retirement, after the pitiful failure of West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster to sack him, should result in the resignation of Mr Foster as well.

“In any case, Mr Guildford’s must not be the last departure from among the force’s leadership, and obviously he cannot be replaced by another senior figure implicated in the same scandal.

“The disgraceful conduct of Mr Guildford and Mr Foster shows who really rules the roost in local affairs in Birmingham.

“Focus must now turn to the Islamists who browbeat the police into carrying out their wishes to ban Jews: which individuals, groups and radical mosques participated in the campaign?

“What has happened in Birmingham is a test case for the British state.

“The man who is the national police lead on ethics and misconduct distorted reality and appeased Islamists before the eyes of the nation and instead of being sacked immediately, he was allowed to see himself out at his own pace, with all of the enormous benefits of retirement.

“The failures here are so multi-layered that it is no exaggeration to say that what happens next could well determine the future health of British society. If we do not stand up to blatant radicalism and institutional appeasement, this country is done for.”

Police watchdog Sir Andy Cooke found that West Midlands were guilty of “confirmation bias”, seeking only evidence to support their desire for a ban rather than “following the evidence”.

This saw the force focus on a Dutch game where there had been violence, but not more peaceful matches in Greece, Ukraine and Denmark.

Inaccurate claims included links between fans and the Israeli Defense Forces, the targeting of Muslim communities, the mass tearing down of Palestinian flags, and attacks on police officers and on taxi drivers.

The Labour Home Secretary slammed the intelligence failures.

She said: “The West Midlands Police engagement with the Dutch police is one of the most disquieting elements of Sir Andy’s report.

“The summary, provided as evidence to the Safety Advisory Group ahead of their crucial meeting on the 24th October was inaccurate.

“Claims including the number of police officers deployed, links between fans and the Israeli Defense Forces, the targeting of Muslim communities, the mass tearing down of Palestinian flags, attacks on police officers and on taxi drivers were all either exaggerated or simply untrue.”

And the Home Secretary will reintroduce powers to allow her to sack chief constables.

Mr Guildford admitted his force used AI to find evidence of trouble involving the Israeli team.

And it justified banning fans after the AI search found social media posts about violence at a fictitious match involving West Ham United on November 9 2023.

That day, West Ham were playing against Greek side Olympiacos. Maccabi Tel Aviv, meanwhile, were playing in Lublin, Poland.

This is a breaking story. More to follow.