JK Rowling has pulled no punches in her criticism of Nigel Farage after Reform UK's newly appointed justice adviser argued against automatically excluding transgender women from female prisons, advocating instead for case-by-case evaluations.

Vanessa Frake, who previously governed prisons housing Rose West and Myra Hindley, has maintained that individual risk assessments should determine placement decisions.

The former prison governor, who also led security operations at HMP Wormwood Scrubs, stated: "There are equally vile women as there possibly are trans women. So it's all about the risk assessments for me, and each has to be done on an individual basis."

Frake criticised those supporting categorical exclusions, saying: "People who want to just say a blanket ban clearly have never stepped foot in a prison and seen how prison runs and how see how risk assessments on individuals happen."

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She noted that transgender inmates she supervised were "accepted" by fellow prisoners.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has been a particularly vocal critic of Frake's remarks, as has Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick and several Reform supporters.

Farage, when questioned about his adviser's stance at Monday's Westminster press conference, acknowledged his lack of direct prison experience. He said: "I personally never worked in a prison, so I can't answer [that]."

He added: "But I think you'll find that the answer that you'll get from somebody who has worked in prisons at the highest possible level is, I think basically it's about risk assessment."

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The Reform UK leader characterised the transgender prisoner issue as minor compared to other challenges facing the prison system, stating: "But in terms of the problems in prisons, it's a relatively small one."

A Reform UK spokesman clarified that Frake's views do not constitute official party policy, describing her comments as "a different opinion" from an adviser to Colin Sutton's task force.

Following Farage's response, several biological women's rights activists have been left unimpressed, with Harry Potter author Rowling arguably the most prominent.

The author took to X, where she shared a quote from a separate Farage critic that read: "I genuinely cannot believe that Nigel Farage has now agreed with comments that some trans women prisoners (males) should remain in women's prisons.

Genuinely surprised anyone's shocked by this. Just because huge swathes of the left have revealed themselves to be dripping in misogyny doesn't mean a massive chunk of the right doesn't remain exactly as indifferent to women's rights and issues as it's always been. pic.twitter.com/4riGODypaq

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) August 5, 2025

"This is absolutely absurd! Men do not belong in women's prisons - why can't Reform get this right? What are they on?"

Echoing the sentiment of the statement, Rowling included words of her own. She penned on the social media site: "Genuinely surprised anyone's shocked by this.

"Just because huge swathes of the left have revealed themselves to be dripping in misogyny doesn't mean a massive chunk of the right doesn't remain exactly as indifferent to women's rights and issues as it's always been."

Rowling had preceded the X post with another criticising Reform UK as a whole. "All those people who tell me support for women's single sex spaces means I must support Reform (which I don't) appear to share exactly the same opinion on women's single-sex spaces as Reform," she stated.

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JK Rowling isn't pleased with Farage's stance

Farage is yet to publicly respond to Rowling's critique.

According to official figures, 295 transgender prisoners were held in England and Wales during 2023-24, with 244 in male facilities and 51 in female prisons.

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Data published last year indicated that two-thirds of transgender women prisoners had been convicted of sexual offences.

The Supreme Court determined earlier this year that transgender women may be lawfully excluded from female-only spaces, as equality legislation protecting women specifically references biological sex. This ruling permits the exclusion of transgender women from female prisons.