A businessman wearing a “B*****ks to Brexit” badge has said he was detained at Gatwick airport after a member of staff at passport control ordered him to remove it.
Eddie Brinsmead-Stockham, from Surrey, said he refused to take off the badge and was taken to a holding area without his passport.
A spokeswoman from the Home Office said: “we are taking this matter seriously.”
Mr Brinsmead-Stockham had arrived at Gatwick’s north terminal on Monday afternoon after a trip to Portugal.
He said he was detained for around 10 minutes after he refused to take off the badge.
A second official then returned his passport and allowed him to leave.
Mr Brinsmead-Stockham told the BBC he was asked to take the badge off in the airport because he was at risk of being assaulted.
"I had never encountered that sort of belligerence at passport control before. I felt very frightened,” he said.
The Home Office said they were investigating the incident.
“We are aware of claims made by a member of the public regarding an incident at Gatwick Airport,” the spokeswoman said.
