Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon has claimed that Harry Potter author JK Rowling is “obsessed” with her, responding to the author’s latest criticism during an appearance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Rowling's Criticism
Just a day before Sturgeon’s comments, Rowling had posted on X, describing the former SNP leader as a “world-class misogynist” and “profoundly disloyal” to her party, following Sturgeon’s criticism of the SNP’s election campaign in a new foreword for her book.
Sturgeon's Response
Asked by broadcaster Iain Dale if she wanted an “amnesty” with Rowling, Sturgeon said she was not “at war”. “She seems to be at war with me,” she said. “So if we’re going to get an amnesty, I think it’s probably going to have to come from her.”
Sturgeon acknowledged their disagreements, saying, “We disagree on more than one thing – we disagree about independence, we clearly disagree on trans rights. My god, that woman is obsessed with me. I don’t spend as much time thinking about her as she does thinking about me.”
Comments on Joanna Cherry
Sturgeon also criticised former SNP MP Joanna Cherry, whose book, published earlier this year, was heavily critical of Sturgeon’s leadership. Sturgeon described the book as “shit” and said Cherry “seems to have an obsession with me that is not reciprocated”.
When asked if she had a question for Cherry, who is set to appear in a later edition of the show, Sturgeon said, “It’s not a question, it’s a challenge. Can she get through more than 30 seconds of the answer to any question without talking about me?”
Sturgeon admitted she had not read Cherry’s book, saying, “One of the things that distresses me most the older I get is that realisation of all of the books I’ll never get to read. Why on earth would I spend time reading one that’s shit?”
