Home Secretary James Cleverly’s date rape joke ‘misogynistic’ and ‘very ill-judged’, senior Tory MP says

Published

2 years ago

December 29, 2023

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The home secretary’s date rape joke was “misogynistic” and “very ill-judged”, a senior Conservative MP has told Sky News.

James Cleverly apologised after making an “ironic joke” about putting a date rape drug in his wife’s drink, hours after the Home Office announced plans to crack down on spiking.

He has faced calls to resign, but Downing Street has said Rishi Sunak “considers the matter closed” following his apology.

Asked about the comment, Tory MP Dame Caroline Dinenage told Sky News: “I think it was a very ill-judged comment. But I mean, I think James has owned that comment and apologised.

“I think he understands and actually anybody who follows James on social media will see how deeply in love with his wife he is and what a wonderful relationship they have.

“So you know, I think that he’s apologised, let’s move on.”

‘We all say things we regret’

When pressed on whether, given his role, he should be making such comments, Dame Caroline said it was an “off the cuff, silly remark” which she is sure he “completely regrets”.

Dame Caroline, who is chair of the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee and a member of the Women and Equalities Committee, added: “I mean, we all say things that we regret.

“[It was] very ill-judged and you know, it was a misogynistic comment. But let’s hope that he’s learned that and that we can move on.

“It shouldn’t supersede all the really important stuff that the Home Office needs to get to grips with.”

Mr Cleverly made the comments during a private conversation at a Number 10 reception last week.

The home secretary told female guests “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.

Mr Cleverly also 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”.

Conversations at Downing Street receptions are usually understood to be off the record, so not for quoting and attributing the source, but the Sunday Mirror decided to break that convention because of Mr Cleverly’s position and the subject matter.

Allies of the minister said his comments were made in a private setting but he recognises they were inappropriate.

A spokesman for the home secretary said: “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.”

Politics

Two Labour-run councils ‘considering all options’ to challenge migrant hotel use

Published

1 hour ago

August 21, 2025

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Two Labour-run councils 'considering all options' to challenge migrant hotel use

Two Labour-run councils are considering legal action to stop the use of hotels to house migrants in their areas after Epping council won a temporary injunction.

The leaders of Wirral and Tamworth councils both say they are considering their legal options in the wake of the Epping case, citing similar concerns about the impact of the hotels on their local communities.

Politics latest: Judge in Epping hotel case was Tory candidate four times

Epping Forest District Council won an interim High Court injunction on Tuesday to stop migrants being housed at The Bell Hotel, after arguing its owners did not have planning permission to do so.

Paula Basnett, the Labour leader of Wirral council, said: “We are actively considering all options available to us to ensure that any use of hotels or other premises in Wirral is lawful and does not ride roughshod over planning regulations or the wishes of our communities.”

She added: “If necessary, we will not hesitate to challenge such decisions in order to protect both residents and those seeking refuge.”

Carol Dean, the Labour leader of Tamworth Borough Council, said she understands the “strong feelings” of residents about the use of a local hotel to house asylum seekers.

She pointed out that under the Labour government, the use of hotels has halved from 402 to 210, with the aim of stopping the use of any hotels by 2029.

But in light of the Epping case, she said “we are closely monitoring developments and reviewing our legal position”.

Badenoch backs more council rebellions

Other Tory councils are also being encouraged to follow Epping’s lead by party leader Kemi Badenoch.

She has sent a letter to all the councils they control, pledging her support for them to fight migrant hotels.

She wrote: “The Epping hotel injunction is a victory for local people led by a good Conservative council working hard for their community. This is the difference Conservatives in local government deliver. Real plans. Real action.”

Conservative-run Broxbourne Council has announced it is exploring its legal options.

The Reform UK leader of Kent County Council has also said she was writing to fellow leaders in Kent to explore whether they could potentially take legal action.

Government under pressure

The prospect of more rulings in favour of councils will leave ministers asking where else they might be able to house asylum seekers. Other options may include flats and ex-army bases.

The prime minister and the home secretary are under huge pressure to clear the asylum backlog and stop using hotels across the country to house those waiting for their applications to be processed.

Protests have sprung up at migrant hotels across the country. But The Bell Hotel in Epping became a focal point in recent weeks after an asylum seeker housed there was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.

The council sought an interim High Court injunction to stop migrants from being accommodated at the hotel, owned by Somani Hotels Limited, on the basis that using it for that purpose contravened local planning regulations.

The interim injunction demanded that the hotel be cleared of its occupants within 14 days, but in his ruling on Tuesday, Mr Justice Eyre granted the temporary block, while extending the time limit by which it must stop housing asylum seekers to 12 September.

Somani Hotels said it intended to appeal the decision. Its barrister, Piers Riley-Smith, argued it would set a precedent that could affect “the wider strategy” of housing asylum seekers in hotels.

Epping hotel ‘sidestepped public scrutiny’

A government attempt to delay the application was rejected by the High Court judge. Home Office barristers had argued the case had a “substantial impact” on the government performing its legal duties to asylum seekers.

But Mr Justice Eyre dismissed the Home Office’s bid, stating that the department’s involvement was “not necessary”.

The judge said the hotel’s owners “sidestepped the public scrutiny and explanation which would otherwise have taken place if an application for planning permission or for a certificate of lawful use had been made”.

Reacting to Tuesday’s judgment, border security minister Dame Angela Eagle said the government will “continue working with local authorities and communities to address legitimate concerns”.

She added: “Our work continues to close all asylum hotels by the end of this parliament.”