Overview

• UK Home Secretary James Cleverly has apologized for making a joke about spiking his wife's drink with a date rape drug at a Downing Street reception.
• The joke was made on the same day the Home Office, which Cleverly oversees, announced plans to crack down on drink spiking.
• Cleverly's comments have been criticized by senior Labour figures and women's rights groups, with some calling for his resignation.
• Between May 2022 and April 2023, there were 6,732 reports of drink spiking in England and Wales, including 957 incidents of needle spiking.
• The government has pledged to modernize the language used in legislation to make clear that spiking is a crime, but has stopped short of making it a specific offence.