Current:Home > MyBritish home secretary under fire for making joke about date rape drug -FutureFinance
British home secretary under fire for making joke about date rape drug
View
Date:2025-04-12 10:14:31
LONDON (AP) — British Home Secretary James Cleverly was under fire Sunday for joking about date rape just hours after announcing plans to crack down on what he had dubbed a “perverse” offense.
Cleverly, who oversees national security and law enforcement in England and Wales, faced a call to step down after he reportedly joked at an event at the prime minister’s home about drugging his wife.
He told women guests at a Dec. 18 reception that the secret to a long marriage was having a spouse who “is always mildly sedated so she can never realize there are better men out there,” the Sunday Mirror newspaper reported.
Cleverly said “a little bit of Rohypnol” — the so-called date rape drug — “in her drink every night” was “not really illegal if it’s only a little bit.”
The drug, colloquially known as a roofie when it is crushed and put into someone’s beverage without their knowledge, makes the subject drowsy and can lead to unconsciousness and memory loss.
Cleverly apologized through a spokesperson for what he called an “ironic joke” after he had announced the Conservative government planned to update legislation to make clear that such drink spiking is illegal. He described the practice as a “perverse” crime.
The comments were made during a drinks reception at 10 Downing Street where political journalists mingled with political aides, ministers and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Conversations at such events are typically off the record, but the Sunday Mirror said it decided to report the news because of Cleverly’s position and the subject matter.
“In what was always understood as a private conversation, James, the home secretary tackling spiking, made what was clearly meant to be an ironic joke – for which he apologizes,” his spokesperson said.
Jemima Olchawski, chief executive of the women’s rights group the Fawcett Society said the remarks were “sickening,” and she called on Cleverly to resign.
“How can we trust him to seriously address violence against women and girls?” Olchawski said in a statement. “It’s sickening that the senior minister in charge of keeping women safe thinks that something as terrifying as drugging women is a laughing matter.”
Cleverly, 54, who met his wife in college and has two children, previously described tackling violence against women and girls as a personal priority.
Senior members of the opposition Labour Party condemned the “appalling” comments.
“It is truly unbelievable that the home secretary made such appalling jokes on the very same day the government announced new policy on spiking,” Yvette Cooper, a Labour member of Parliament, said. “Victims will understandably be questioning if they can trust him to take this vile crime seriously.”
The government has pledged to clarify that drink spiking is a crime while stopping short of making it a specific offense.
Police in England and Wales receive an average of 561 reports of spiking a month, mainly by women who report incidents at bars and nightclubs, according to a Home Office report.
veryGood! (64)
Related
- McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
- Airstrikes over eastern Syria near Iraqi border kills six Iran-backed militants
- The Rest of the Story, 2023
- The Rest of the Story, 2023
- New Mexico governor seeks funding to recycle fracking water, expand preschool, treat mental health
- More than 100 anglers rescued from an ice chunk that broke free on a Minnesota river
- Cargo ship carrying lithium ion batteries ordered to continue to Alaska despite a fire in cargo hold
- Mexico and Venezuela restart repatriation flights amid pressure to curb soaring migration to U.S.
- California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- Family found dead in sprawling mansion outside Boston in 'deadly incident of domestic violence'
Ranking
- Romantasy reigns on spicy BookTok: Recommendations from the internet’s favorite genre
- Google settles $5 billion privacy lawsuit over tracking people using ‘incognito mode’
- Driverless car startup Cruise's no good, terrible year
- Happy birthday, LeBron! With 40 just around the corner, you beat Father Time
- What to watch: O Jolie night
- 11 books to look forward to in 2024
- Browns vs. Jets Thursday Night Football highlights: Cleveland clinches AFC playoff berth
- Our worst NFL preseason predictions from 2023, explained: What did we get wrong?
Recommendation
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
A popular asthma inhaler is leaving pharmacy shelves. Here's what you need to know
Frank Thomas blasts 'irresponsible' Fox News after network mistakenly claimed he died
Casino smoking and boosting in-person gambling are among challenges for Atlantic City in 2024
Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
For transgender youth in crisis, hospitals sometimes compound the trauma
SoundHound AI Stock has plunged. But could it be on the upswing next year?
Russia says it thwarted Kyiv drone attack following aerial assault against Ukraine