Minister made rape jokes – asked to resign

Minister made rape jokes asked to resign
full screen Great Britain’s Home Secretary James Cleverly’s joke did not go down well. Archive image. Photo: Kin Cheung/AP/TT

British Home Secretary James Cleverly is under fire after he joked about rape drugs – just hours after announcing plans to crack down on “stabbing” he himself called “perverted”.

Cleverly is being asked to resign from several quarters after he reportedly joked about drugging his wife. The incident took place on Monday during an unofficial event at the Prime Minister’s house.

He told a group of female guests that the secret to a long marriage is to have a wife who is ‘always on a light drug’ so she never realizes there are better men out there,” according to the Sunday Mirror.

Cleverly is said to have said that “a little Rohypnol” – the so-called rape drug – “in her drink every night is not illegal if it’s just a little”.

The sleeping pill is notorious for being used in cases of sexual abuse. The drug is placed in someone’s drink without their knowledge and can lead to unconsciousness and memory loss.

Cleverly has apologized through a spokesperson for what he calls an “ironic joke” and he had taken the conversation to be private.

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