Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling’s blistering take-down of actress and one-time collaborator Emma Watson over the controversial issue of transgender rights is an indication of how the debate in Britain has swung towards those advocating for a traditional understanding of sex and gender.

Towards the end of a 600-word social media screed published on X on Monday, Rowling said Watson’s declaration in a recent interview that she loves and treasures the author was “a change of tack I suspect she’s adopted because she’s noticed full-throated condemnation of me is no longer quite as fashionable as it was”.