Home Secretary James Cleverly apologises after joking about spiking his wife’s drink

Published

2 years ago

December 23, 2023

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James Cleverly has apologised after joking about putting a date rape drug in his wife’s drink in comments made at a Downing Street reception within hours of the Home Office announcing plans to crack down on spiking.

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 laughed 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 home secretary and his wife Susie have two children.

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

A spokesperson for Mr Cleverly 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.”

The home secretary has previously described tackling violence against women and girls as a “personal priority” and called spiking – when someone puts drugs into another person’s drink or directly into their body without their knowledge or consent – a “perverse” crime.

Senior Labour figures criticised Mr Cleverly’s “appalling” comments, with Alex Davies-Jones, shadow minister for domestic violence and safeguarding, saying: “‘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.”

‘Truly unbelievable’

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.”

Police receive 561 spiking reports a month

Ministers pledged to modernise the language used in legislation to make clear spiking is a crime and announced a series of other measures as part of a crackdown, but stopped short of making spiking a specific offence.

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

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.

Politics

Fed governor tells bankers DeFi is ‘nothing to be afraid of’

Published

3 hours ago

August 21, 2025

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Fed governor tells bankers DeFi is ‘nothing to be afraid of’

Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller urged policymakers and bankers to stop fearing DeFi and stablecoins, saying they will drive the next wave of innovation in the US payments system.

Politics

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

Published

4 hours 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.”