80 m. ago 'At what point did we become North Korea?' Nigel Farage blasts Keir Starmer's 'awful, authoritarian' UK as Reform leader tells US politicians free speech is under threat

The Reform leader warned that Americans - including tech moguls - could face arrest at Heathrow over online content disliked by British authorities in the wake of the arrest of Graham Linehan.

Politics

3 h. ago Graham Linehan shares recording of arrest after cops hauled him away for 'joke' tweets

Father Ted creator Graham Linehan shared a lengthy audio recording of his arrest, which saw five armed police officers approach him after he landed at Heathrow Airport this week

Events

3 h. ago Voices: Cracking down on transphobic hate speech doesn’t make the UK a police state

Graham Linehan's arrest for allegedly suggesting that people assault trans women is not an assault on free speech, writes Marc Burrows. The scandal is that we live in a society where some people think the language he reportedly used is acceptable

Events

4 h. ago Father Ted creator Graham Linehan to sue Met over arrest for ‘anti

JK Rowling and Elon Musk among high-profile critics of arrest of Irish comedian, 57, by armed officers after stepping off flight at Heathrow

Events

5 h. ago Met police chief calls for review of law after Graham Linehan arrest

Rowley says officers should not be ‘policing toxic culture wars debates’ and are in an impossible positionThe Metropolitan police have declined to drop their investigation into the comedy writer Graham Linehan for tweets about trans issues, and said that the law used by officers to detain him needs reviewing.The Met commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, said on Wednesday officers should not be “policing toxic culture wars debates”, and while any review took place, officers would investigate only more serious cases concerning online messages. Continue reading...

Events

6 h. ago Nigel Farage urges Trump to use 'diplomacy and trade' to pressure Britain on free speech ahead of appearance in front of US politicians TODAY

The Reform leader and MP is due to say Britain has become an 'authoritarian censorship regime' after the arrest of Irish writer Graham Linehan for posting trans-critical tweets.

Politics

6 h. ago Met chief backs officers over Graham Linehan arrest row, but says they shouldn’t ‘police toxic culture wars’

Both Sir Keir Starmer and Wes Streeting have re-emphasised that police should prioritise street crime following backlash over Graham Linehan’s arrest

Events

6 h. ago Met chief blames Government for Graham Linehan arrest furore: ‘We shouldn't be policing toxic culture wars debates’

Sir Mark Rowley says officers should not be ‘policing toxic culture wars debates’ - and calls for a change in the law

Events

7 h. ago Free speech laws 'need to be looked at' after Graham Linehan's arrest over 'anti

The Health Secretary has waded into the fresh debate about free speech in the UK after Linehan told how he was dealt with 'like a terrorist', held in a cell and then had to be rushed to hospital.

Events

7 h. ago Father Ted creator Graham Linehan releases audio of trans tweets arrest: 'Holy s**t, I don't believe it'

The Father Ted creator is heard being told to ‘calm down’ by police, as he responds: ‘I won’t calm down’

Events

7 h. ago Streeting says officers should ‘police streets not tweets’ after Graham Linehan arrest

Father Ted creator claimed he was arrested ‘like a terrorist’ at Heathrow Airport on Monday

Events

8 h. ago Graham Linehan releases audio of his arrest by armed police after being detained over 'anti

Linehan was detained at Heathrow by five armed officers as he returned to Britain from Arizona , and accused of 'inciting violence' in relation to three posts he had made on X while living in the US.

Events

8 h. ago Elon Musk says UK has become a 'police state' amid backlash over Graham Linehan's trans tweets arrest

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is expected to raise the issue in front of the House Judiciary Committee in Washington

Events

8 h. ago Streeting says hate speech laws are having ‘unintended consequences’ after arrest of Father Ted writer – UK politics live

Health secretary says government needs to balance legislation so police are ‘not just policing tweets’ following detention of Graham Linehan over posts on transgender issuesAt the Downing Street lobby briefing yesterday the PM’s spokesperson was reluctant to comment directly on the arrest of Graham Linehan. But he did say that Keir Starmer thought the police should be focusing on “antisocial behaviour, shoplifting, street crime, as well as reducing serious violent crimes like knife crime and violence against women”. The Daily Telegraph has interepreted that as an attack on the Met.Wes Streeting, the health secretary, was on the media round this morning and in some respects he adopted the same line. Asked about the arrest, he told Times Radio:I think the prime minister and the home secretary have been very clear that with the law and order challenges we’ve got in our country, we want to see people being kept safe by policing streets, not just policing tweets.One thing I would say, be...

Politics

8 h. ago Graham Linehan arrest storm: Government may need to 'sort out' police priorities, says minister

The Father Ted creator was arrested by armed police at Heathrow Airport over three tweets about trans issues

Politics

22 h. ago Criticism grows over Father Ted creator Graham Linehan arrest for ‘anti

JK Rowling and Elon Musk among high-profile critics as Irish comedian, 57, detained by armed officers moments after stepping off an American Airlines flight from Arizona

Events

27 h. ago JK Rowling and Elon Musk lead backlash at 'utterly deplorable' arrest of Graham Linehan after Father Ted creator was arrested by armed police for 'anti

The Irish comedy writer, who was travelling on an American Airlines flight from Arizona to London , says he was treated like a 'terrorist' after being detained as soon as he stepped off the plane.

Events

27 h. ago Arrest of Father Ted creator Graham Linehan over trans posts condemned

Conservative MPs described it as ‘ridiculous’ and accused the police of ‘arresting people for making jokes’.

Events

28 h. ago JK Rowling blasts 'utterly deplorable' arrest of Graham Linehan as she leads huge backlash after Father Ted creator was detained 'like a terrorist' by armed police for 'anti

The Irish comedy writer, who was travelling on an American Airlines flight from Arizona to London , says he was treated like a 'terrorist' after being detained as soon as he stepped off the plane.

Events

29 h. ago JK Rowling blasts 'utterly deplorable' arrest of Graham Linehan after Father Ted creator was arrested by armed police for 'anti

The Irish comedy writer, who was travelling on an American Airlines flight from Arizona to London , says he was treated like a 'terrorist' after being detained as soon as he stepped off the plane.

Events