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| Version 6 | Version 7 |
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| Potter author in £1m Labour gift | Potter author in £1m Labour gift |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Harry Potter author JK Rowling has donated £1m to the Labour Party, the party has announced. | Harry Potter author JK Rowling has donated £1m to the Labour Party, the party has announced. |
| Ms Rowling said she was motivated by Labour's record on child poverty and opposed a Conservative plan to give tax breaks to married couples. | Ms Rowling said she was motivated by Labour's record on child poverty and opposed a Conservative plan to give tax breaks to married couples. |
| Her donation will boost Gordon Brown as he tries to calm unrest among party members at Labour's annual conference. | Her donation will boost Gordon Brown as he tries to calm unrest among party members at Labour's annual conference. |
| Mr Brown said he was delighted to have the backing of "one of the world's greatest ever authors". | Mr Brown said he was delighted to have the backing of "one of the world's greatest ever authors". |
| JK Rowling, whose fortune was estimated at £560 million in this year's Sunday Times Rich List, is known to be a personal friend of Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife Sarah. | |
| The Labour party has seen a surge in funding from private individuals, who donated a total of £3.8m between April and June. | The Labour party has seen a surge in funding from private individuals, who donated a total of £3.8m between April and June. |
| Other high-profile donors to have contributed this year include comedian Eddie Izzard, who gave almost £10,000, and Steve Lazarides, graffiti artist Banksy's dealer, who gave £120,000. | Other high-profile donors to have contributed this year include comedian Eddie Izzard, who gave almost £10,000, and Steve Lazarides, graffiti artist Banksy's dealer, who gave £120,000. |
| The Labour government has reversed the long-term trend in child poverty, and is one of the leading EU countries in combating child poverty JK Rowling | The Labour government has reversed the long-term trend in child poverty, and is one of the leading EU countries in combating child poverty JK Rowling |
| A statement from Ms Rowling, who wrote the first of her best-selling books about boy wizard Harry Potter while an impoverished single mother, pledged support for Mr Brown's long-running campaign against child-poverty. | |
| She said: "I believe that poor and vulnerable families will fare much better under the Labour Party than they would under a Cameron-led Conservative Party. | She said: "I believe that poor and vulnerable families will fare much better under the Labour Party than they would under a Cameron-led Conservative Party. |
| "Gordon Brown has consistently prioritised and introduced measures that will save as many children as possible from a life lacking in opportunity or choice. | "Gordon Brown has consistently prioritised and introduced measures that will save as many children as possible from a life lacking in opportunity or choice. |
| HAVE YOUR SAYI suspect this annual get-together will be furthermore known as the Harry Potter Conference, full of make-believe, spin, wizardry, mystique and not a happy ending Andy, Milton KeynesSend us your comments | HAVE YOUR SAYI suspect this annual get-together will be furthermore known as the Harry Potter Conference, full of make-believe, spin, wizardry, mystique and not a happy ending Andy, Milton KeynesSend us your comments |
| "The Labour government has reversed the long-term trend in child poverty, and is one of the leading EU countries in combating child poverty. | "The Labour government has reversed the long-term trend in child poverty, and is one of the leading EU countries in combating child poverty. |
| "David Cameron's promise of tax perks for the married, on the other hand, is reminiscent of the Conservative government I experienced as a lone parent. | "David Cameron's promise of tax perks for the married, on the other hand, is reminiscent of the Conservative government I experienced as a lone parent. |
| "It sends the message that the Conservatives still believe a childless, dual-income, but married couple is more deserving of a financial pat on the head than those struggling, as I once was, to keep their families afloat in difficult times." | "It sends the message that the Conservatives still believe a childless, dual-income, but married couple is more deserving of a financial pat on the head than those struggling, as I once was, to keep their families afloat in difficult times." |
| 'Penalty on families' | 'Penalty on families' |
| Labour's deputy leader Harriet Harman welcomed the donation during a visit to a Sure Start Children's Centre in Manchester with the Prime Minister. | Labour's deputy leader Harriet Harman welcomed the donation during a visit to a Sure Start Children's Centre in Manchester with the Prime Minister. |
| Ms Harman acknowledged that raising a daughter alone had been a struggle for Ms Rowling and said she was delighted with the reasons the author had given for backing the party. | |
| "She's particularly concerned about the Conservatives' proposal which would put a penalty on families with young children if the parents had separated," Ms Harman added. | "She's particularly concerned about the Conservatives' proposal which would put a penalty on families with young children if the parents had separated," Ms Harman added. |
| A Conservative spokesman said the party would not be responding to JK Rowling's comments. | |
| Ms Rowling split from her first husband, Portuguese journalist Jorges Arantes, shortly after their daughter Jessica was born in 1993. | |
| She wrote much of her first Harry Potter book in an Edinburgh cafe, where she found it easier to work than at her "grotty and depressing" council home. | She wrote much of her first Harry Potter book in an Edinburgh cafe, where she found it easier to work than at her "grotty and depressing" council home. |
| Single parent | Single parent |
| Recognising she was a poor single parent, the cafe owners would let Ms Rowling nurse an espresso and water all day as she worked with her daughter sleeping beside her in a pram. | |
| The author married second husband, Dr Neil Murray, in 2001 and the couple have a son, David Gordon, and daughter, Mackenzie Jean. | |
| Her £1m donation is the first time the children's author has given cash to the Labour Party, which currently has debts totalling around £18m. | Her £1m donation is the first time the children's author has given cash to the Labour Party, which currently has debts totalling around £18m. |
| The prime minister said: "I am delighted that JK Rowling, who is one of the world's greatest ever authors, has made such a generous donation. | The prime minister said: "I am delighted that JK Rowling, who is one of the world's greatest ever authors, has made such a generous donation. |
| "I thank her for supporting the Labour Party and our values of social justice and opportunity for all." | "I thank her for supporting the Labour Party and our values of social justice and opportunity for all." |
| Much of Labour's £17.9m debt was amassed to fund the 2005 general election campaign, the most expensive in the party's history. | Much of Labour's £17.9m debt was amassed to fund the 2005 general election campaign, the most expensive in the party's history. |
| A source indicated that JK Rowling's money would not simply be swallowed up in debt repayments, but would allow the party to continue with its work. |