Sally Rooney, the Irish novelist behind Normal People and Conversations With Friends, said on Wednesday that her books will no longer be supplied to booksellers in the UK, according to BBC News.

In a statement, Rooney said the fulfilment of contracts to publish her work in the UK could now constitute a "serious criminal offence" because of her stated intention to keep supporting Palestine Action, which the UK proscribed as a terrorist organisation in July 2025.

Her publisher Faber confirmed that current legislation means it cannot pass on UK earnings to Rooney, calling that an "unconscionable situation for a publisher," and said it would stop supplying her works in the UK "in any format" while continuing to sell them in other territories.

Ebook editions have already been removed from UK sale, though shops may sell existing physical stock.

BBC News reports Rooney has sold more than six million books globally, including 2.3 million in the UK according to NielsenIQ BookData, and The Guardian reports Normal People alone has sold more than a million copies in the UK, with Conversations With Friends and Beautiful World, Where Are You each topping 500,000.

The Guardian also notes Normal People's BBC adaptation racked up 62.7 million views, the broadcaster's most-streamed series of 2020, effectively launching Paul Mescal's and Daisy Edgar-Jones's careers.

That a writer of this scale is now effectively unavailable in a major English-language market, with her own agreement, is described by outlets on both sides of the debate as unprecedented fallout from the proscription.

The mechanics are set out across the pack. In an August 2025 Irish Times column, Rooney wrote that she intended to use proceeds from her work to keep supporting Palestine Action, which is not proscribed in the Republic of Ireland where she lives.

The Guardian reports that under Section 15 of the Terrorism Act, providing money knowing it may be used for terrorism carries a maximum sentence of 14 years, and that Rooney was advised payments to her for the TV dramatisations could breach the law if she used them to fund the group.

Faber told BBC News it could not lawfully pay her UK royalties, and Rooney said she had even cancelled a UK trip to collect an award over fears of arrest. Seattle Times/NYT adds she cancelled the award trip fearing arrest.

The move lands in the middle of a fierce debate over the UK's proscription of Palestine Action. The Guardian reports more than 3,700 people are believed to have been arrested for alleged support of the group, with about 2,500 charged but none yet tried.

Amnesty International UK chief executive Kerry Moscogiuri, quoted by The Guardian, warned that laws meant to combat terrorism should not silence artistic freedom, saying writers should not find their books disappearing because of their beliefs.

Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori called the withdrawal "a new low in the escalating assault on free speech," while the Home Office, per Seattle Times/NYT reporting, said the ban followed a rigorous, evidence-based process and does not affect lawful protest for the Palestinian cause.

For now, the shelves have not emptied. BBC News reports Waterstones confirmed Faber advised there are no restrictions on booksellers keeping current copies.

The Guardian spoke to London booksellers still stocking her: Henry Pordes Books' Gian Carlo said existing stock could be sold and that "nothing goes to Sally Rooney in this case," while John Clegg of the London Review Bookshop said he ordered more copies as soon as he saw the news, expecting demand once supply via Faber dries up.

That gap between current stock and no future supply is the practical face of the dispute — readers can still buy her novels today, but reprints and new editions will stop flowing into the UK while the ban stands.

The future of both the ban and Rooney's UK availability may turn on litigation.

Multiple outlets, including NBC News and The Guardian, report that a legal challenge to the proscription, brought by co-founder Huda Ammori after the Court of Appeal upheld the ban in June, will be heard by the UK Supreme Court next month.

All cases involving people charged with breaching the ban are on hold pending that ruling. Rooney has already told the High Court the proscription threatens freedom of expression, The Guardian reports, and Faber says it remains the proud publisher of her work elsewhere.

Depending on the Supreme Court's decision, her books could return to UK shops — or the withdrawal could become a template for how proscription law reaches culture and commerce.