JK Rowling fumes ‘Starmer OUT’ as she blasts PM over Mandelson conduct and grooming gangs stance

Ms Rowling wrote: "Add Keir Starmer's newfound concern for victims of Peter Mandelson's bestie to his backflip on whether women can have penises and his U-turn on the Rotherham grooming gangs enquiry.

"Starmer is indifferent to harm done to girls and women unless it threatens his career."

She concluded her post with "#StarmerOut".

The post comes as Sir Keir faces a growing leadership crisis after appointing Mr Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to the US in December 2024, despite long-standing public awareness of his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

His subsequent apology to Mr Epstein’s victims, issued in February 2026, has been described by critics including Reform Leader and GB News presenter Nigel Farage as a case of “newfound concern”, with claims it was motivated more by political survival than genuine accountability.

The Prime Minister’s position on gender also appears to have shifted over the past four years, moving from saying it was “not right” to claim only women have a cervix and stating “trans women are women”, and endorsing a biological definition of sex following public controversy and a Supreme Court ruling.

Critics, including Kemi Badenoch, have branded the change a politically driven “U-turn”, while Labour insiders describe it as a move from activism to “common sense”.

Sir Keir’s handling of a national grooming gangs inquiry has also drawn criticism, with opponents highlighting his initial dismissal of calls for a fresh probe before announcing a full statutory inquiry in June 2025 following the Casey review.

Fans of Ms Rowling were quick to react to her post in the comments section.

One wrote: "Call me wildly idealistic, but I like to think we'll one day have a PM who gives a sh** about protecting the rights and safety of girls and women." Another said: "Starmer is the most hated man in the country. He’s a vile traitor."

Another viewer penned: "Yep. We judge him on his actions, not his spin," to which Ms Rowling responded: "Even his spin's a joke. 'I'm sorry people in power didn't listen to you.'

"The victims' accounts were all in the public domain when Starmer - a man in power, who I believe has fully functioning ears - appointed a known associate of Epstein's to a plum job."

Sir Keir is facing the most serious threat to his leadership since taking office, following a wave of high-profile resignations and calls to step down from within his own party.

The Mr Mandelson scandal has prompted the departures of his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, and communications director, Tim Allan, while pressure has mounted as Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar publicly urged the Prime Minister to resign and opposition figures labelled his position untenable.

Although senior cabinet allies have offered public support, it is widely regarded as fragile.

Despite Sir Keir insisting he will “fight for his job,” analysts say his authority is severely weakened as he heads into a critical political test in the coming months.

This is not the first time Ms Rowling has used her platform to criticise Sir Keir, particularly over gender identity and perceived failures to protect women’s sex-based rights.

Her criticism stretches back several years, beginning with the Prime Minister's treatment of MP Rosie Duffield, whom he publicly rebuked in 2021 for saying only women have a cervix.

In March 2022, she accused him of misrepresenting the 2010 Equality Act by claiming it legally defined women to include trans women.

Furthermore, during the 2024 election campaign, she wrote a 2,000-word essay in The Times saying she would “struggle to vote” for Labour, accusing Sir Keir of abandoning women and expressing a poor opinion of his character.

Her concerns continued into December 2025, when she warned that Britain’s children “should be protected from Labour” after reports emerged that the government had blocked transgender guidance meant to safeguard female-only spaces in schools.

Her advocacy has not come without backlash.

The relationship between Ms Rowling and the Harry Potter cast has grown increasingly strained over her public statements on transgender rights, which many cast members viewed as harmful to the LGBTQ+ community.

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint all issued statements in 2020 supporting trans people, with Mr Radcliffe writing an open letter for The Trevor Project affirming that “transgender women are women.”

Mr Radcliffe later admitted the divide left him “really sad,” while Ms Watson expressed frustration that a constructive private conversation never seemed possible.

Ms Rowling, in turn, has been openly critical of the stars, recently dismissing Ms Watson as “ignorant” and suggesting she would not forgive those she says “cosied up to a movement” she believes undermines women’s rights.