UK Home Secretary James Cleverly faces criticism for date rape drug joke, apologises
File photo of UK Home Secretary James Cleverly.
British Home Secretary James Cleverly has been severely criticised for joking about spiking his wife Susannah Janet Temple Cleverly's drink with a date rape drug, British media reported on Saturday (Dec 23). According to a report by The Sunday Mirror, Home Secretary Cleverly made this comment during an event at Downing Street. Cleverly told female guests “a little bit of Rohypnol in her (wife's) drink every night” was “not really illegal if it’s only a little bit.”
He also said that the secret to a long marriage was ensuring "your spouse someone who is always mildly sedated so she can never realise there are better men out there." Cleverly's joke came just hours after the Home Office announced plans to crack down on spiking.
The home secretary has faced backlash for his joke, with angry campaigners calling on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to investigate his behaviour, the report by The Sunday Mirror said.
‘Spiking isn't a joking matter’
Speaking to the publication, Colin Mackie, chair of Spike Aware UK said, "Spiking isn’t a joking matter." Mackie, who lost his child through drink spiking said it was an appalling thing for the home secretary to make such a comment, “especially when we’re trying to get changes to the law.”
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Senior Labour Party leaders also criticised the comment. "It is truly unbelievable that the Home Secretary made such appalling jokes on the very same day the Government announced a new policy on spiking. It suggests that despite being the Cabinet Minister ultimately responsible for tackling violence against women and girls he doesn’t get how serious this is."
Alex Davies-Jones, the shadow minister for domestic violence and safeguarding, said “It was a joke’ is the most tired excuse in the book and no one is buying it."
“If the home secretary is serious about tackling spiking, and violence against women and girls, then that requires a full cultural change. The ‘banter’ needs to stop and it has to start at the top,” Davies-Jones added.
Cleverly apologises for comment
As per the report, a spokesperson for Cleverly said, “In what was always understood as a private conversation, the Home Secretary made what was clearly meant to be an ironic joke – for which he apologises.”
Also watch:James Cleverly apologises for ‘appalling’ date rape drug joke at No 10 event
This is not the first time that Cleverly has been under fire. In November, he apologised in the Commons for using “inappropriate language” towards Labour MP Alex Cunningham but denied he called the latter’s Stockton constituency a "shit hole."
(With inputs from agencies)