JK Rowling has not voted for the Labour Party as a result of her opposition to its position on trans issues, despite having been a lifelong party supporter and donor.
The Harry Potter author cast her postal vote yesterday. Posting on social media, she said she voted for an independent candidate, despite wanting "an end to this long stretch of Tory insanity".
She accused Starmer of saying "men can be women" in last night's leaders debate against Rishi Sunak.
Taking to social media, Rowling said: "It's very important that we protect women's spaces... but men can also be women, says the Labour leader.
Rowling accused Starmer of saying "men can be women" in last night's leaders debate against Rishi Sunak
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"My postal vote is literally lying next to me. I wanted to wait to hear what Keir Starmer said tonight to fill it in."
She added: "Old habits die hard. I've been Labour all my life.
"I wanted a clear statement from Starmer because I really want an end to this long stretch of Tory insanity, but here I am, voting independent for the first time in my life."
Speaking in last night's BBC debate, the Labour leader agreed it was important to protect women's spaces but would not amend legislation to do so. He argued that current laws already do so.
Addressing Sunak, he said: "Don’t just use this as a political football to divide people.
"What I will also say is that I do recognise that there are a small number of people who are born into a gender that they don’t identify with, and I will treat them, as I treat all human beings, with dignity and respect.
Rowling said: 'My postal vote is literally lying next to me. I wanted to wait to hear what Keir Starmer said tonight to fill it in.'
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"I’ll tell you why, because if you don’t, we end up with the prime minister of the United Kingdom standing in Parliament making an anti-trans joke in front of the mother of a murdered trans teenager."
Sunak replied: "That’s not what I did. I was pointing out that you’ve changed your mind on this question multiple times."
Earlier this week, Rowling agreed to meet with the Labour Party but laid out a number of conditions ahead of doing so.
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The Harry Potter author said she would only meet with the party's leadership if Angela Rayner revokes her endorsement of a charter that described two organisations, Woman’s Place and the LGB Alliance, as "hate groups".
She said: “I’ll be happy to meet after Keep Prisons Single Sex, Lesbian Labour, Women’s Rights Network, Woman’s Place and the LGB Alliance have been given in-person meetings with the Labour leadership.
“I’d also like to know whether Angela Rayner still considers the last two organisations hate groups – asking on behalf of female survivors of domestic violence and gay people who don’t subscribe to gender identity ideology.”
Over the weekend, the author accused the party of "abandoning" women concerned about transgender rights.
Writing in the Times, Rowling said she would find it hard to vote for Sir Keir Starmer, saying she has a "poor opinion" of his character.
She also accused the Labour leadership of a “dismissive and often offensive” approach to women's concerns.
