JK Rowling donates $1.83 mn to Labour Party

Harry Potter author Joanne K Rowling has donated one million pounds ($1.83 million) to the ailing British Labour party, the author confirmed on Saturday.

Rowling said she wanted to support the party's work against child poverty. She also criticized plans by the opposition Conservative Party to grant tax break to married couples.

Her announcement coincided with the start of the annual Labour Party conference in Manchester Saturday and at a time when the party led by Prime Minister Gordon Brown is facing its most serious crisis to date.

Rowling amassed a fortune of estimated 560 million pounds ($1.03 billion) with her popular children's book series. She is close friends with Brown and his wife Sarah, but it is her first donation to Labour.

When the author started writing her books about the student wizard she was a single mother on social welfare.

Apart from the current challenges to Brown's leadership Labour is also in financial trouble with an estimated debt of 17.8 million pound.

Private donors, among them Guerilla graffiti artist Banksy, have donated in total 3.8 million pounds to the party between April and June this year, it was revealed on Saturday.