Harry Potter author JK Rowling has revealed she has rebuffed two offers of a peerage following Conservative politician Kemi Badenoch, publicly announcing she would appoint her to the House of Lords.
The iconic author, 59, was praised by the Secretary of State for Business who said if she won the Tory leadership, she would be able to appoint some peers for being outspoken figures in the gender debate. However, this did little to sway the fictional writer.
Taking to X, JK recently wrote: "It’s considered bad form to talk about this but I’ll make an exception given the very particular circumstances. I’ve already turned down a peerage twice, once under Labour and once under the Tories. If offered one a third time, I still wouldn’t take it. It’s not her, it’s me."
The former equalities minister claimed in an interview with the Talk online streaming service, that she had "managed to get Dr Hilary Cass a peerage" following her controversial review of NHS gender identity services. The Cass review, published in April, found care had been directed by "ideology on all sides" and was based on "remarkably weak evidence."
Lady Cass took her seat on Monday having been elevated to the upper chamber as an independent crossbench peer in Conservative leader Rishi Sunak’s dissolution honours list earlier this year. JK reportedly welcomed the findings, which led to NHS England ending the prescription of puberty blockers for children experiencing gender dysphoria. And Scotland’s only clinic offering gender services to young people followed suit.
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Getty Images)Some doctors and academics both in the UK and internationally have criticised the report, expressing concern about its methodology, and the British Medical Association has announced it will carry out an evaluation of the Cass Review. JK has made no secret of her beliefs surrounding spaces for biological women to be protected, and has also spoken up about trans issues in the sports industry.
The former Labour donor, who gave the party £1 million under the leadership of Gordon Brown, has previously claimed it has "abandoned women." The Labour Party manifesto pledged to "modernise, simplify and reform the intrusive and outdated gender recognition law to a new process" while also stating pride in the Equality Act "and the rights and protections it affords women." It added: "We will continue to support the implementation of its single-sex exceptions."
Last month, it was reported the Doctor Who star David Tenant refused to have the author on the legendary sci-fi show's Christmas special. It's believed that the actor "scuppered" a plan by writer Russell T Davies, who wanted to put her in the show. Russell was the head writer of the 2005 reboot of Doctor Who from 2005 to 2010 before a return in 2023. According to reports, David went against Russel's plans as he thought it would create a "spoof" of the BBC series. It was claimed Russell was looking for a major name who could surpass Kylie Minogue's stint on the show.
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