Nigel Farage insisted he has "never supported men in women’s prisons" after Reform UK became engulfed in a trans row. The insurgent party's new justice adviser spoke out against a blanket ban on trans women being imprisoned in women's jails.

But her comments prompted criticism from gender critical campaigners including Harry Potter author JK Rowling. In a post on X today, Reform leader Mr Farage said: "I have never supported men in women’s prisons."

The Clacton MP retweeted a video when he described the Supreme Court's ruling in April that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex as a "victory for common sense".

Former prison governor Vanessa Frake made the remarks as she was unveiled as Reform's new justice tsar at a press conference on law and order yesterday.

She told The Times: “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.”

When asked about the comments at the Reform press conference, Mr Farage said: "When it comes to trans women in prisons, isn't it interesting that we run our country with people who become ministers who generally have no idea of the subject matter that they're talking about.

"I've personally never worked in a prison so I can't answer it but I think you'll find the answer you get from somebody who has worked in prisons at the highest possible level is basically it's about risk assessment."

But Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch seized upon the comments as she insisted that the Tories are the "only party standing up for women-only space".

She added: "After the Supreme Court judgment, we shouldn’t be hearing anymore about men being put in women’s prisons. Yet here we are. As usual, Reform have not done their homework and will make a big mess."

Meanwhile, Rowling said: "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."

It comes after the Supreme Court in April ruled that the terms "woman" and "sex" in the 2010 Equality Act "refer to a biological woman and biological sex".

The decision has been interpreted to mean that transgender women can be excluded from women-only spaces such as toilets and changing rooms.