Watchdog orders Met to reinvestigate Graham Linehan’s discrimination complaint
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has ruled that the Metropolitan Police’s handling of Graham Linehan’s complaint about his 2025 arrest was not reasonable and proportionate. It has ordered the force to investigate several points again, including whether the comedian was discriminated against because of his gender-critical views.
Linehan, co-creator of *Father Ted* and *The IT Crowd*, was arrested at Heathrow on suspicion of inciting violence over social media posts and later faced no further action. The Met had apologised and paid him £25,000 after an internal investigation, but the IOPC said the force had not satisfactorily explained the grounds for arrest or pursued questions about his bail conditions. Linehan can ask the watchdog to review the outcome of the reinvestigation.
- The watchdog ordered the Met to reinvestigate Linehan’s complaint.
- It said the original handling was not reasonable and proportionate.
- The review includes an allegation of discrimination over his beliefs.
New here? Start with this
Graham Linehan is a comedian and television writer known for co-creating Father Ted and The IT Crowd. In 2025, police arrested him at Heathrow over social media posts, on suspicion of inciting violence; he later faced no further action, meaning no further police action was taken in the case.
The Metropolitan Police, known as the Met, is the police force for London. Linehan complained about how it handled his arrest, including whether his gender-critical views affected its actions. The Independent Office for Police Conduct oversees complaints about police conduct in England and Wales, and its involvement matters because it can require a force to examine its handling of a complaint again.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
A fresh investigation is justified because the watchdog found that the Met had not adequately explained the grounds for arrest or examined questions about bail conditions. Properly investigating whether Linehan’s gender-critical views influenced his treatment would help ensure that police powers are applied fairly and that complaints about possible discrimination are taken seriously.
The case against
A reinvestigation should not be taken to imply that discrimination occurred: arrest decisions may turn on the content and circumstances of particular posts, rather than a person’s wider views. Reopening matters after the Met apologised and paid compensation could raise concerns about duplication and the burden on those involved, so any further inquiry should be focused, evidence-led and fair to all parties.
Read the full article at the source →
Originally published by Daily Mail as “Comedian Graham Linehan may have been discriminated against by police because of his gender-critical views, watchdog says”.