JK Rowling hits out at Alastair Campbell for ‘trans rights’ assault

JK Rowling has ‘thanked’ Alastair Campbell showing Labour‘s ‘indifference’ towards women’s rights after he hit out at new plans by the Tories to ban post-op trans people in women-only spaces.

The Harry Potter author spoke out after the former Labour spin doctor accused Conservative minister Kemi Badenoch of ‘weaponising trans rights’ this morning.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Mr Campbell suggested that Ms Badenoch has more interest in ‘ideology’ than the general election and disparaged her by saying that the gender debate was the ‘biggest issue on her agenda’.

However, Ms Rowling, who has been a staunch defender of same-sex spaces and women’s rights, accused the intervention by the political podcaster of ‘highlighting Labour’s complacency’ on the topic.

Ms Badenoch had been on television this morning defending the government’s plans to overhaul the Equality Act which will make it clear that sex as a protected characteristic refers to biology rather than gender identity.

While she was appearing on the morning TV shows Mr Campbell, who is now a co-host of The Rest Is Politics podcast, directed his ire towards her on social media.

He wrote: ‘I’m sure the world of trade and business will take note that the actual Secretary of State for trade and business has decided that the biggest issue on her agenda on her first big election outing is the weaponisation of trans rights. 

‘Anyone might be tempted to think @KemiBadenoch has less interest in the general election than the internal ideological s***show likely to follow it.’

This drew a response from Ms Rowling, who pointed out that the topic fell well within her role as Equalities Minister. 

She wrote: ‘Badenoch is also Minister for Women and Equalities. Thanks once again for highlighting Labour’s complacency and indifference towards the rights of half the electorate.’

When some people pointed out that Mr Campbell was not a Labour member, having being expelled from the party after voting for the Liberal Democrats in the 2019 European Elections, she remained undeterred and posted images of Labour MPs Lloyd Russell-Moyle, David Lammy and Barry Gardiner along with quotes of what they have said on the gender debate.

Ms Rowling added: ‘His membership status is irrelevant. Just like the still-Labour men below, he appears incapable of understanding what left wing women have been warning about for years.

‘He and his ilk have given the right an open goal and they’re now irate that the right are exploiting it.’

Ms Rowling has been outspoken on her views on gender, and last week claimed women’s rights are facing ‘the greatest assault in my lifetime’ by trans activists.

The 58-year-old has been harshly criticised by people on the opposite side of the gender debate, but said she regrets not speaking out ‘far sooner’ and would be ‘ashamed for the rest of my days’ if she did not stick her head above the parapet.

The landmark change in the law proposed by the Conservatives would allow transgender women to be blocked from entering female-only spaces.

This includes areas such as single-sex hospital wards, rape crisis centres, prison cells and lavatories, and from competing in women’s sports. 

That would cover transgender women who have had reconstructive surgery and those who have a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) stating that they have changed gender.

Such an update to the 2010 legislation was backed by Britain’s equalities watchdog, the Equality and Human Rights Commission, in April last year.

At present, if organisers try to block transgender women from female-only spaces, they face legal challenges and being sued for discrimination.

Rishi Sunak has moved to put so-called culture wars at the heart of the election battle, heaping pressure on Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer to spell out his position.

Ms Badenoch had a tense exchange with Sky News’ Kay Burley as she challenged her suggestion that the change was addressing ‘extreme cases’.

She insisted men were ‘exploiting loopholes in the law by calling themselves trans’.

In a round of interviews, she said: ‘Just putting on a different set of clothes does not make you transgender.’

Ms Badenoch said transgender athletes would not be ‘stopped from competing’ but would in some cases have to be classified as their biological sex.

She added: ‘What we are trying to stop is the scenario where we see very obvious unfair advantages, people who have gone through male puberty towering over fragile, and in some cases much, much smaller females.’

Ms Badenoch said equalities law was having ‘a lot of problems right now’, stating that there are ‘rapists being put in women’s prisons on the basis that they are self-identifying’.

Saying adjusting the legislation would bring clarity, she told BBC Radio Four’s Today programme: ‘With public authorities, with prisons, if you are a man, you’re going to a man’s prison. If you’re a woman, you go to a women’s prison.’

Asked about what would happen if someone born male had undergone gender reassignment surgery, Ms Badenoch indicated they would still go to a men’s prison but there could be ‘special circumstances’ created for them such as more privacy and separate areas.

She added: ‘What we find is that we don’t have actually trans men in men’s prison, and the reason why is because people understand that biology does matter’.

She said a rape crisis centre would be able to decide what to do.

Ms Badenoch said: ‘We are creating the space for people to choose what it is they want to do. If a rape crisis centre decides that it wants to allow a trans woman with a gender recognition certificate, they will be able to do so. If they choose not to, then they can’t be sued for that. That is what we’re doing.

‘We’re not – and it is very important – we are not trying to stop trans people from being able to live their lives as they wish. What we are trying to stop is people exploiting the law.’

Gender-critical campaigners, including former British Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies, welcomed the pledge as a victory for ‘common sense’.

The move is the Tories’ latest bid to put clear blue water between them and Labour ahead of polling day on July 4.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has previously suggested that no such law change was needed, having stated in 2022 that ‘trans women are women’ and that it’s wrong to say that ‘only women have a cervix’.