UK Health Secretary Urges Police Focus on Streets Not Tweets After Comedian Arrest

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has called for police to prioritize policing streets over policing social media posts following the arrest of comedian Graham Linehan at Heathrow Airport over tweets about transgender issues. Linehan was detained by five armed officers and accused of inciting violence based on posts he made while in the US, sparking widespread criticism from public figures including JK Rowling and Elon Musk, who described the UK as a "police state." While Streeting expressed disapproval of the focus on social media policing, he emphasized that the police are enforcing laws passed by Parliament and indicated that lawmakers should reconsider the balance of legislation if it is misdirecting police resources. He also noted the government's commitment to combating racism and discrimination but acknowledged the difficulty in defining the boundaries of free speech online. Streeting suggested that the law might need to be changed to prevent police from wasting resources on policing tweets, advocating for a shift toward neighbourhood and street-level safety priorities. The incident has ignited debate about free speech, online regulation, and the role of law enforcement in Britain.