‘I’ve already turned down a peerage twice, once under Labour and once under the Tories’
J.K. Rowling has revealed she has twice turned down offers of a peerage in the House of Lords, and would turn down a third as well.
The Harry Potter author wrote on social media that she had been offered peerages under both Labour and Tory governments.
Her comments came after Conservative Party leadership hopeful Kemi Badenoch said she would give Rowling a peerage for her stance on gender, views which many argue are discriminatory and transphobic.
Speaking to online platform Talk TV, Badenoch praised Rowling for views on sex and gender, saying she agreed with the author’s views that protections for women should be based on biological sex rather than gender.
Badenoch told Talk TV: “I don’t know whether she would take it, but I certainly would give her a peerage.”
But in a post on X following the North West Essex MP’s comments, Rowling 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.”
Peerages in the House of Lords are usually appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister.
In 2001, Rowling was awarded an OBE, and was made a Companion of Honour by Prince William in 2017.
The House of Lords is Parliament’s second chamber. Its members consider draft laws and participate in select committees.
