Television writer Graham Linehan has claimed gender ideology has "swept through the entire police force" as he spoke publicly for the first time since receiving £25,000 in compensation from the Metropolitan Police over his arrest at Heathrow Airport.
Linehan's comments on policing
The Father Ted co-creator made the remarks during an interview with GB News after the force compensated him following the incident. His comments came after an internal Metropolitan Police review found shortcomings in the handling of the case, while concluding that officers involved had acted with good intentions.
Speaking to GB News Political Editor Chris Hope, Linehan said he believed police were right to resolve the matter rather than continue with legal proceedings. "I think the police were very wise not to drag this out in the courtroom," he said. "It would have exposed various forces at the moment in modern policing in the UK that they're really in need of reform."
Arrest details and social media posts
The 57-year-old went on to argue that belief in gender ideology had become widespread within policing and claimed officers were too focused on regulating speech instead of listening to public concerns. "It would have been a nightmare for the police," he said. "I think that at the moment the police are in something of a crisis state."
Linehan was arrested by armed officers at Heathrow Airport in September last year after returning from Arizona. The investigation followed a complaint from a transgender campaigner over a series of posts on social media. One of the posts stated: "If a trans-identified male is in a female-only space, he is committing a violent, abusive act." It continued: "Make a scene, call the cops and if all else fails, punch him in the balls."
Linehan's defence and Supreme Court ruling
Another post featured a photograph from what appeared to be a transgender rights demonstration, accompanied by comments criticising those Linehan described as "misogynists and homophobes". Discussing the investigation, Linehan argued that his comments were intended as safeguarding advice.
Referring to the recent Supreme Court ruling on the legal definition of a woman, he said: "When I give advice for women to make a fuss, cause a scene, call for the police... that is the kind of safeguarding advice that any father would give their daughter." He added that the fact police investigated the posts demonstrated what he described as a wider disconnect between officers and public opinion.
