It’s the third day of Sir Keir’s Labour government and Starmer has finished making his ministerial appointments. But not everyone is thrilled by the final list. Emily Thornberry has already hit out at Starmer’s snub, after the long-time parliamentarian was passed over for a government role, and now JK Rowling has taken to Twitter/ X to slam the new PM’s choices.
After Starmer’s appointment of Anneliese Dodds as women and equalities minister was announced, the Harry Potter author decided to remind her followers of one of Dodds’ more baffling conversations. Just two years ago, the Labour politician was quizzed by Emma Barnett on the BBC’s Woman’s Hour about her party’s definition of a woman. The discussion that followed was rather bizarre – to put it mildly.
EB: And Labour’s definition of a woman?
AD: Well, I have to say that there are different definitions legally around what a woman actually is. I mean you look at the definition within the Equality Act and I think it just says someone who is adult and female, I think, but then doesn’t say how you define either of those things. I mean that’s then… you’ve got the biological definition, the legal definition, all of this kind of thing.
EB: With respect I didn’t ask for that. What’s the Labour definition?
AD: Well, I think with respect Emma I think it does depend what the context is, surely. You know there are people who have decided to…that they have to make that transition. You know, I’ve spoken with many of them. It’s been a very difficult process for many of those people, and you know understandably because they live as a woman they want to be defined as a woman. That’s what the Gender Recognition Act – again a Labour process – brought into place.
EB: Context is all, but trans women are women from your perspective?
AD: But then when you come to the Equality Act, and you know Emma I’m not going to…
EB: No no, you’re just Shadow Women and Equalities Minister.
What a mess. Criticising Dodds’ previous ‘nonsensical’ remarks, Rowling made clear she isn’t much impressed by Starmer’s choice for the job. In a lengthy OpEd published during the election campaign, the former Labour donor slammed the party’s ‘dismissive and often offensive’ stance on women’s rights and detailed her plans to vote instead for an independent candidate. Meanwhile, one of Starmer’s own MPs, Rosie Duffield, expressed her disappointment at the party leader’s approach to the trans debate. She made a scathing tweet of her own after Starmer told a BBC audience he agrees with Tony Blair’s stance on gender, rather than reference his, er, female MP. The issue will continue to dog the new Prime Minister, and it’s one he will have to find a better way of addressing – fast.
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