British Home Secretary James Cleverly has come under fire for making lewd jokes about spiking his wife's drink. According to reports, Cleverly joked to female guests at an event that a little bit of Rohypnol in his wife's drink every night was not really illegal. He also mentioned that the key to a long marriage was keeping one's spouse mildly sedated so she can never realize there are better men out there. This comes just hours after he announced new measures to tackle drink-spiking, including changes to legislation. His comments have sparked outrage from senior Labour figures, women's rights organizations, and members of the public.

British Home Secretary James Cleverly forced to apologise after saying at a reception: secret to a happy marriage is keeping wife sedated so she doesn't realise better men are available and it's not really illegal to spike wife's drink w/ small quantities of rohypnol. #ToriesOut

— always vote (@always_vote) December 24, 2023

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper called his remarks "appalling" and "unbelievable." Women's Aid and the Fawcett Society have condemned his jokes and called for his resignation, questioning whether he can be trusted to take the issue of spiking and violence against women seriously. Cleverly has since apologized, stating that his comments were meant to be ironic. However, the uproar over his remarks has led many to question his ability to effectively tackle violence against women and girls. It remains to be seen how this incident will impact Cleverly's position within the government amidst growing calls for his resignation.