Harry Potter author JK Rowling says that she turned down two offers of a peerage after comments by a Conservative MP stating that she would appoint her to the House of Lords.
Rowling was praised by MP Kemi Badenoch, who is currently in the running to become leader of the UK Conservative Party. As leader, she would be able to appoint Rowling. Writing on X, Rowling posted: “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.”
Badenoch said in an interview with Talk streaming service that she had “managed to get Dr. Hillary Cass a peerage” after her review of NHS gender identity services.
Lady Cass was elevated to the House of Lords as an independent crossbench peer following her inclusion in Conservative leader Rishi Sunak’s dissolution honours list earlier this year. She officially took her seat on Monday. Author JK Rowling welcomed the findings, which prompted NHS England to halt the prescription of puberty blockers for children experiencing gender dysphoria. Following this decision, Scotland’s only gender services clinic for young people made a similar move.
The report has faced criticism from some doctors and gender ideologues over its methodology. The British Medical Association has announced it will conduct its own evaluation of the Cass Review.
Rowling, a former Labour Party donor who once contributed £1 million under Gordon Brown’s leadership, has previously claimed that the party has “abandoned women.”
Labour’s manifesto has pledged to "modernise, simplify, and reform the intrusive and outdated gender recognition law to a new process" while maintaining pride in the Equality Act "and the rights and protections it affords women."
