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UK Home Secretary faces backlash over controversial joke about date rape drug
Controversy surrounds British Home Secretary James Cleverly as he faces criticism for making a joke about date rape. James is responsible for national security and law enforcement in England and Wales.
He allegedly joked about drugging his wife in the prime minister’s residence on December 18.
According to sources, he shared with female guests that the key to a lasting marriage involved having a spouse who is “always mildly sedated so she can never realize there are better men out there.”
Cleverly said “a little bit of Rohypnol” — the so-called date rape drug — “in her drink every night” was “not illegal if it’s only a little bit.”
The drug is commonly referred to as a “roofie.” However, when it is discreetly added to someone’s drink without their knowledge it results in unconsciousness and memory loss.
Home Secretary James Cleverly issued an apology through a spokesperson. He characterized his remarks as an “ironic joke” concerning a practice he labeled as a “perverse” crime.
These comments were made during a social gathering at 10 Downing Street. At the event, there were many political journalists mingled with political aides, ministers, and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Although discussions at such events are typically considered off the record.
“In what was always understood as a private conversation, James, the home secretary tackling spiking, made what was meant to be an ironic joke – for which he apologizes,” his spokesperson said.
“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.”
James Cleverly, aged 54, who met his wife during college and has two children, has emphasized addressing violence against women and girls as a personal priority in the past.
Members of the senior leadership within the opposition Labour Party strongly criticized Cleverly’s comments, deeming them “appalling.”
“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,” 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 committed to making it clear that drink spiking is a criminal act.
According to a Home Office report, England and Wales receive an average of 561 reports of drink spiking. The majority of these reports come from women who have experienced incidents at bars and nightclubs.
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