Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has said his officers should not be “policing toxic culture wars debates” as he responded to his force’s arrest of Father Ted writer Graham Linehan over anti-trans posts.
The UK’s top police officer said his officers are in an “impossible position”, adding that he has offered to provide suggestions to the Home Office about clarifying the law and policy within weeks.
“Greater clarity and common sense would enable us to limit the resources we dedicate to tackling online statements to those cases creating real threats in the real world,” he said.
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Mr Rowley added that the Metropolitan Police will be more selective about what social media posts it should investigate in future.
“We will be putting in place a more stringent triaging process to make sure only the most serious cases are taken forward in future – where there is a clear risk of harm or disorder.”
Sir Mark Rowley has waded into the controversy surrounding online posts by Graham Linehan. File pic: PA
It comes hours after Health Secretary Wes Streeting told Sky News the government needs to look at whether police are “getting the balance right”.
Linehan, who also created the Black Books and The IT Crowd comedies, said on Tuesday he was arrested at Heathrow Airport over posts on X sharing his views on trans rights.
In one of his posts, Linehan said: “If a trans-identified male is in a female-only space, he is committing a violent, abusive act. Make a scene, call the cops and if all else fails, punch him in the balls.”
The health secretary told Sky News Breakfast with Wilfred Frost that he can’t comment on the specifics of the case, as operational police decisions are “rightly independent of politicians”.
However, Mr Streeting said more generally that the government would rather see “police on the streets rather than policing tweets”.
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The cabinet member added: “It’s the easiest thing in the world for people to criticise the police, but they are enforcing laws that parliament has passed and asked them to enforce.
“So if we haven’t got the balance right, as Parliament over successive governments, that is something that we need to look at because the Home Secretary is very clear about what her priorities are”.
He said that those priorities are neighbourhood policing and keeping borders safe.
Writing on Substack, Lineham said that after flying into the UK from Arizona, he was detained by five armed officers at Heathrow Airport and put in a cell before being questioned over posts published on X in April.
He added that officials became concerned for his health after taking his blood pressure, and he was taken to hospital.
His arrest has drawn criticism from opposition politicians.
Senior Conservative MP Sir James Cleverly said the arrest looked like a “real overreaction” to what was “self-evidently a joke”.
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Linehan arrest: ‘It appears to be an overreaction’
Meanwhile, shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said the incident was “ridiculous and a complete waste of police time”.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said he would raise the case when he gives evidence to the House Judiciary Committee in Washington on free speech in the UK during a hearing on Wednesday, The Sun reported.
Nigel Farage will raise the case in Washington. Pic: PA
But Sir Keir Starmer would not commit to reviewing the law or police guidelines when asked about the issue at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday.
The prime minister said the police must “focus on the most serious issues… like anti-social behaviour, knife crime and violence.”
“We have a long history of free speech in this country. I’m very proud of that and I will always defend it,” he added.
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Harry Potter author JK Rowling, who has regularly shared her views on women’s rights in relation to transgender rights on social media, also waded into the row, posting on X: “What the f*** has the UK become? This is totalitarianism. Utterly deplorable.”
Responding to the accusation that the UK was now a “totalitarian” state, Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesperson said: “No.”
A Met Police spokeswoman confirmed an arrest was made at Heathrow Airport on Monday, but did not identify Linehan.
In a statement, the force said: “On Monday, 1 September at 1pm officers arrested a man at Heathrow Airport after he arrived on an inbound American Airlines flight.
“The man in his 50s was arrested on suspicion of inciting violence. This is in relation to posts on X.
“After being taken to police custody, officers became concerned for his health and he was taken to hospital. His condition is neither life-threatening nor life-changing.
“He has now been bailed pending further investigation.”
