JK Rowling accused ‘The Rest Is Politics’ hosts Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart of ‘classism and misogyny’ (Image: Getty Images)

JK Rowling has hit out at The Rest Is Politics co-hosts Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart, saying she refused an invitation onto their podcast and accusing them of being “exceptionally arrogant” and “dripping with classism and misogyny”.

The exchange followed For Women Scotland posting a farewell message from London directed at Campbell, suggesting the group had hoped to meet him. Rowling responded by sharing an animated image of Scooby-Doo and Shaggy, captioned: “Live footage of @campbellclaret and @RoryStewartUK just in.”

Campbell, who has previously said he had ‘stand-up rows’ with BBC seniors over trans rights, said he had invited Rowling onto the show to discuss trans issues.

Rowling replied that she was not interested in being interviewed by them, as she “wasn’t interested in being used to boost the viewing figures of a pair of exceptionally arrogant men whose understanding of this issue drips with classism and misogyny”.

Rowling also argued that if the hosts wanted a debate, they should speak to For Women Scotland, writing: “If you’re genuinely interested in a debate, I’m at a loss to understand why you’re uninterested in interviewing @ForWomenScot, who secured the Supreme Court victory and are therefore THE leading voices on this issue.”

For Women Scotland has challenged Campbell and Stewart to invite them onto the podcast, saying they were “still waiting” for a response.

How the dispute escalated

The row sits in the wider fallout from the Supreme Court ruling on the legal definition of “woman” in the Equality Act, described as referring to “biological woman and biological sex”.

Campbell criticised the judgment as lacking “clarity”, and said his views were informed “by Grace, my daughter, and her friends, almost all of whom found this judgment really quite alarming and dangerous”.

Rowling, who frequently uses social media to comment on sex, gender identity and related policy topics, also referenced comments attributed to Campbell’s daughter Grace about ‘gender-critical’ groups. She wrote: “Perhaps your charming daughter has adequately represented the entire Campbell family’s view, by describing them as ‘ugly’ women, with whom she wouldn’t ‘want to be in a room’?”

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