End of the culture war police: Met to stop non-crime hate investigations after Graham Linehan probe
The move comes after the Irish TV writer vowed to 'hold the police accountable' for its attempt to 'silence and suppress gender-critical voices'
The Metropolitan Police has confirmed it will "no longer investigate non-crime hate incidents" after dropping its probe into a series of alleged anti-transgender posts by Father Ted creator Graham Linehan.
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The force has vowed to distance itself from culture war debates and "focus on matters that meet the threshold for criminal investigations".
It comes after Father Ted creator Graham Linehan said he will face "no further action" after being arrested at Heathrow Airport last month on suspicion of inciting violence over a string of alleged anti-transgender tweets.
Earlier, the Irish TV writer had earlier vowed to "hold the police accountable" for its attempt to "silence and suppress gender-critical voices" over the probe.
But a Metropolitan Police spokesperson has since said: "We understand the concern around this case. The Commissioner has been clear he doesn’t believe officers should be policing toxic culture war debates, with current laws and rules on inciting violence online leaving them in an impossible position.
"As a result, the Met will no longer investigate non-crime hate incidents. We believe this will provide clearer direction for officers, reduce ambiguity and enable them to focus on matters that meet the threshold for criminal investigations. These incidents will still be recorded and used as valuable pieces of intelligence to establish potential patterns of behaviour or criminality.
"We will continue to investigate and arrest those who commit hate crimes – allowing us to comply with statutory guidance while focusing our resources on criminality and public protection."
Mr Linehan, 57, was arrested by the Metropolitan Police after flying in from Arizona, over three posts he had made on X about transgender issues.
The arrest sparked criticism with Harry Potter author JK Rowling among those who reacted angrily.
Announcing that the probe has been dropped, the 57-year-old Irish comedy writer said in a post on social media on Monday: "The police have informed my lawyers that I face no further action in respect of the arrest at Heathrow in September."
After a successful hearing to get my bail conditions lifted (one which the police officer in charge of the case didn’t even bother to attend) the Crown Prosecution Service has dropped the case.
“With the aid of the Free Speech Union, I still aim to hold the police accountable for what is only the latest attempt to silence and suppress gender-critical voices on behalf of dangerous and disturbed men."
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One of the posts in question read: “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.”
Another was a photograph of a trans-rights protest, with the comment “a photo you can smell”, and a follow-up post saying: “I hate them. Misogynists and homophobes. F*** em.”
The arrest came days before he appeared in court accused of harassing a transgender woman.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) reviewed the evidence and concluded there was no realistic prospect of conviction, it is understood.
A CPS spokesperson said: “Following careful review of a file submitted by the Metropolitan Police, we have decided that no further action should be taken in relation to a man in his 50s who was arrested on 1 September 2025.”
The Free Speech Union (FSU) said it has instructed lawyers to sue the Met Police for wrongful arrest.“Police forces cannot continue to suppress lawful free speech without facing consequences,” the union said in a post on social media.
“We’ve instructed a top flight team of lawyers to sue the Met for wrongful arrest, among other things.“Graham deserves an apology but, more importantly, the police need to be taught a lesson that they cannot allow themselves to be continually manipulated by woke activists.”
The writer, who now lives in the United States, denied one count of harassing activist Sophia Brooks on social media between October 11 and October 27 last year, and a further charge of criminal damage of their mobile phone on October 19 last year.
The trial was adjourned and will resume on October 29, with Linehan released on bail.