British interior minister James Cleverly issued an apology on Sunday in response to a report by the Sunday Mirror tabloid, alleging that he made a joke about spiking his wife's drink with a sedative associated with date-rape drugs. According to the report, Cleverly, a prominent figure in Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government, made the jest at an event this month, suggesting that adding "a little bit" of the drug to his wife's drink each night was "not really illegal." The joke supposedly extended to a comment about the key to a lasting marriage involving keeping one's spouse "always mildly sedated."
The newspaper highlighted that Cleverly, who oversees law enforcement, made these remarks on the same day he announced new measures to address drink spiking, including legislative changes. In response to the report, a spokesperson for Cleverly stated that the comments were intended as an ironic joke in what was perceived as a private conversation, expressing apologies for any offense caused.
Following the incident, the Fawcett Society, a women's rights charity, called for Cleverly's resignation, and the opposition Labour Party criticized his remarks as unbelievable. Yvette Cooper, a Labour lawmaker and the party's home affairs policy spokeswoman emphasized the seriousness of drink-spiking as a crime and expressed concern about the appropriateness of such jokes, particularly coming from the Home Secretary responsible for addressing violence against women and girls. The Labour Party currently holds a substantial lead in opinion polls ahead of an anticipated national election next year.
