James Cleverly facing calls to quit after joking about giving wife date-rape drug

James Cleverly is facing calls to resign over his joke at a Downing Street reception

James Cleverly has been urged to resign for joking about spiking his wife’s drink with a date rape drug at a reception in Downing Street.

Just hours after announcing a raft of measures to crack down on the crime, the home secretary joked about putting “a little bit of Rohypnol in her drink every night”. He added that it was “not really illegal if it’s only a little bit”.

Mr Cleverly said the comments were made during “what was always understood as a private conversation”. A spokesperson said: “James, the home secretary tackling spiking, made what was clearly meant to be an ironic joke – for which he apologises.”

But women’s rights group the Fawcett Society said the comments were “sickening” and called for Mr Cleverly to resign.

The home secretary is directly responsible for tackling issues like spiking (PA)

Chief executive Jemima Olchawski said: “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.

“No wonder women don’t feel safe. We know that ‘banter’ is the excuse under which misogyny is allowed to thrive.

“How can we trust him to seriously address violence against women and girls? We deserve better than this from our lawmakers and Cleverly should resign.”

Mr Cleverly’s joke, dubbed “appalling” by campaigners, came just hours after the Home Office announced plans to crack down on spiking.

He told female guests at the reception that “a little bit of Rohypnol in her drink every night” was “not really illegal if it’s only a little bit”, the Sunday Mirror reported.

Rohypnol and Gamma Hydroxybutyrate (GHB) are the drugs most frequently used to spike victims and leave them feeling physically weak, out of control, confused or can cause them to pass out.

Mr Cleverly also joked that the secret to a long marriage was ensuring your spouse was “always mildly sedated so she can never realise there are better men out there”.

And a Love Island star, who was the victim of drink spiking and now campaigns on violence against women and girls, condemned Mr Cleverly’s apology.

Sharon Gaffka said: “It’s quite ironic that I’m expected to find humour in waking up in a hospital after being drugged.

“Silly me, I just don’t know how to have a laugh these days.”

The home secretary met his wife Susie at university and the couple have two children.

Cleverly joked that keeping his wife sedated meant she was unable to realise there were better men out there (PA)

Conversations at Downing Street receptions are usually understood to be “off the record” but the Sunday Mirror decided to break that convention because of Mr Cleverly’s position and the subject matter.

Allies of Mr Cleverly said his comments were made in a private setting but that he recognises they were inappropriate.

Mr Cleverly has previously described tackling violence against women and girls as a “personal priority” and called spiking a “perverse” crime.

Senior Labour figures criticised Mr Cleverly’s “appalling” comments. Alex Davies-Jones, 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.”

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Spiking is a disturbing and serious crime which is having a devastating impact on young women’s lives. It is truly unbelievable that the home secretary made such appalling jokes on the very same day the government announced 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. Victims will understandably be questioning if they can trust him to take this vile crime seriously.”

Colin Mackie, chair of Spike Aware UK, who lost a child through drink spiking, said he was absolutely furious at Mr Cleverly’s remarks. He said: “Spiking isn’t a joking matter. It’s an appalling thing for the home secretary to say, especially when we’re trying to get changes to the law.”

Charity Women’s Aid said: “We rely on political leaders to take action to end violence against women and girls and the misogyny that underpins it. It is vital that spiking survivors see ministers treating the subject seriously and not downplaying the reality so many women face.”

Ministers have pledged to modernise the language used in legislation to make clear that spiking is a crime and announced a series of other measures as part of a crackdown.

But they stopped short of making spiking – when someone puts drugs into another’s drink or directly into their body without their knowledge or consent – a specific offence.

Between May 2022 and April 2023, there were 6,732 reports of spiking in England and Wales – including 957 reported incidents of needle spiking.

On average police receive 561 reports of spiking a month, with the majority being made by women typically after incidents in or near bars and nightclubs, according to a Home Office report.

It is just the latest controversy surrounding the home secretary since he replaced Suella Braverman last month.

He has repeatedly refused to deny calling Rishi Sunak’s flagship Rwanda deportation policy “bats***”, a claim made by Ms Cooper.

And he denied claims that he called a Labour MP’s northeast constituency a “s***hole”. He admitted using the expletive in the House of Commons, but said instead he had described Alex Cunningham as a “s*** MP”, not his constituency as a “s***hole”.