23 December 2023 , 22:24
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Date-rape drugs are no laughing matter. And as the Cabinet Minister responsible for law and order, James Cleverly should understand that better than most.
For the Home Secretary to joke about giving Rohypnol to his wife, on the same day his department announces a crackdown on drink spiking, was not just crass and insensitive. It calls into question his fitness for the high office with which he has been entrusted.
Campaigners for tougher date-rape laws are rightly appalled and asking whether Mr Cleverly takes the vital task of fighting crime seriously enough. Preventing violence against women and girls is also part of his remit. Jokes such as this undermine their confidence in him.
Mr Cleverly has already shown he is not very clever with his mouth, having compared both his own Government’s Rwanda policy and the town of Stockton to excrement. All this calls into question Rishi Sunak’s judgement in appointing him in the first place.
But to stoop to a gag about a little Rohypnol not being illegal should make the PM reflect over Christmas on whether another reshuffle might be on the cards. Mr Cleverly has clearly chosen the wrong career. Sick jokes are for stand-up comedians, not for those who sit round the Cabinet table. However farcical the current lot may seem.
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The worst Noel
This Christmas will be especially bleak for those who are relying on the aid of charities to get them through it. Rising prices mean more people are in need of help and charities set up to provide it are too overwhelmed to cope.
It is breaking the hearts of those who run them to say that, this Christmas, there really is no room at the inn. Families are so hard-up that nearly one in six of us do not expect to receive presents this year and many will celebrate Christmas in the cold because heating bills are so high.
Even Macmillan Cancer Support has had to cut grants to patients desperately short of cash by £50 because requests are up by a quarter. That is both a tragedy and a scandal for a country which has the proud boast of being the sixth-largest economy in the world.
Mr Sunak has confirmed 2024 will be election year. It is the best news we could ask for. It means voters can tell him there is no room in No10 for him either.
A time of hope
What a year, eh? The Tories have spent most of it squabbling amongst themselves rather than trying to end the cost-of-living crisis. But Christmas is a time for hope.
So, for the next few days, let’s put our troubles behind us to enjoy some quality time with loved ones. We wish a happy, peaceful and restful Christmas to you all.