James Cleverly admits his comments about rohypnol were 'crass and wrong'

Gabrielle Wilde

By Gabrielle Wilde


Published: 01/10/2024

- 15:58

Last year Cleverly told guests at a Downing Street reception that “a little bit of Rohypnol in her drink every night” was “not really illegal"

Tory frontrunner James Cleverly has admitted his comments about rohypnol were "crass and wrong."

Last year Cleverly told guests at a Downing Street reception that “a little bit of Rohypnol in her drink every night” was “not really illegal."

Speaking to Christopher Hope at the Conservative Conference he said: "I messed up, I was trying to make a point that I was the home secretary who was updating the law to make spiking illegal to protect women.

"I was trying to be I was trying to make that point in front of a number of journalists trying to amplify the point that I was taking action on a really serious issue.

"I tried to do it in a light hearted way. It was wrong. It was crass.

"I apologised at the time, and my real frustration is that in doing that, it undermined the really serious work I was doing. That was totally my fault."

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