Britain’s interior minister apologises for joke about spiking his wife’s drink

Published December 24, 2023
British Home Secretary James Cleverly reacts outside 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, December 19. — Reuters
British Home Secretary James Cleverly reacts outside 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, December 19. — Reuters

British interior minister James Cleverly apologised on Sunday after he was reported to have joked about spiking his wife’s drink with a sedative known for its use as a date-rape drug.

The Sunday Mirror tabloid reported that Cleverly, one of the most senior ministers in Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government, had joked to female guests at an event this month that “a little bit” of the drug in his wife’s drink every night was “not really illegal”.

He reportedly joked that the secret to a long marriage was ensuring your spouse was “someone who is always mildly sedated so she can never realise there are better men out there”.

The newspaper also said it came the same day Cleverly, the minister overseeing law enforcement, announced new measures to tackle drink-spiking, including changes to legislation.

“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 apologises,” a spokesperson for Cleverly said in a statement.

The Fawcett Society, a women’s rights charity, called on him to resign, while Britain’s opposition Labour Party said Cleverly’s remarks were unbelievable.

“Spiking is a serious and devastating crime,” Labour lawmaker Yvette Cooper, its home affairs policy spokeswoman, said on X, formerly Twitter.

“Truly unbelievable that the home secretary in charge of tackling violence against women and girls could think it okay to make jokes like this. How can victims trust him to take this vile crime seriously?”

Labour currently enjoys a strong lead in opinion polls over Britain’s governing Conservatives ahead of a national election expected next year.

Opinion

Editorial

No time left
Updated 06 Feb, 2025

No time left

Climate change concerns continue to remain a footnote as politics dominates national discourse, surfacing only when disaster strikes.
Karim Aga Khan
06 Feb, 2025

Karim Aga Khan

PRINCE Karim Aga Khan was a man who straddled various worlds and cultures. Beyond his role as spiritual leader of ...
Cotton production
06 Feb, 2025

Cotton production

PAKISTAN’S cotton crop is on the ropes. The crop output has been falling since FY15, when the country harvested a...
Kashmir question
Updated 05 Feb, 2025

Kashmir question

The important thing is to continue dialogue process, on bilateral disputes, Kashmir issue, and move beyond rigid positions.
Letters from jail
05 Feb, 2025

Letters from jail

OVER the past week, former prime minister Imran Khan has directly addressed his concerns to both the chief justice ...
Agriculture tax
05 Feb, 2025

Agriculture tax

WITH Sindh and Balochistan finally approving changes to their agriculture income tax laws to harmonise their AIT...