After appearing before U.S. lawmakers, the comedy writer accused Britain’s government of sidelining the courts and allowing informal censorship to flourish.
Comedy writer and journalist Graham Linehan testifies on “Europe’s Threat to American Speech and Innovation” at the U.S. Capitol on February 04, 2026 in Washington, D.C.
HEATHER DIEHL / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP
After appearing before U.S. lawmakers, the comedy writer accused Britain’s government of sidelining the courts and allowing informal censorship to flourish.
Irish comedy writer Graham Linehan has issued a stark warning to Britons over free speech after testifying before the House Judiciary Committee in Washington, accusing the Labour government of ignoring a binding Supreme Court ruling on sex and equality.
Appearing before U.S. lawmakers this week, Linehan argued that ideology and freedom of expression “cannot coexist,” and told Congress that Britain’s failure to implement last year’s judgment undermines public trust in the law, asking
If the Government ignores the law, then why should anyone follow it?
In April 2025, the UK Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the terms “sex,” “man,” and “woman” in the Equality Act 2010 refer to biological sex. Linehan told lawmakers the ruling has been effectively set aside, warning that such disregard sets a precedent that could spread beyond Britain:
If the British Government can ignore its own Supreme Court to appease gender activists, so can yours.
He urged Washington to make clear that “America is watching.”
Linehan later expanded on his testimony in interviews with GB News, describing the government’s stance as “intolerable” and accusing ministers of blocking guidance intended to protect women-only spaces. He claimed policies allowing male prisoners who identify as women to be housed in female jails amounted to “extraordinary cruelty.”
His warnings come against the backdrop of his own treatment by British authorities. In September 2025, Linehan was arrested by armed police at Heathrow Airport over several non-recent gender-critical social media posts that were recorded as so-called non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs). The arrest sparked international backlash and led to his hospitalisation with high blood pressure. Charges were dropped the following month, with the Metropolitan Police announcing it would no longer treat NCHIs as grounds for direct criminal investigation. Linehan has since said he intends to pursue legal action over what he describes as a wrongful arrest.
Before Congress, the writer argued that Britain now operates a system of “quiet censorship,” in which lawful speech is punished indirectly by police records, employers, banks, and online platforms, while the state claims formal commitments to free expression: “
In Britain you can have free speech on paper and no free speech at all.
Now based in the United States, Linehan described his appearance on Capitol Hill as a dramatic reversal after years of professional isolation. He has returned to comedy writing, teaming up with Rob Schneider and satirist Andrew Doyle on a new series, Tenure.
Responding to the criticism, a Downing Street spokesman said Prime Minister Keir Starmer believes Britain has a “proud history of freedom of speech” that will endure. Linehan, however, warned that continued defiance of the courts and reliance on informal speech controls risk eroding both free expression and democratic legitimacy.
Nick Hallett is an assistant news editor for The European Conservative. He has previously worked as a journalist for Breitbart and as the online editor for The Catholic Herald.
