Cases of extradition used to be rare; now they occur almost every week. However, the law controlling such cases is unsatisfactory. An innocent individual can lose their liberty with no evidence given against them and no effective legal safeguards.

The NatWest Three created headlines, but the argument that their extradition was unfair because the US had not ratified the 2003 extradition treaty was misconceived. That treaty requires both parties to ratify it, and until the US president’s signature is forthcoming it is not in force. Even when it is, it will cure nothing; it will simply entrench an unequal situation. The push by Baroness Scotland, a Home Office minister, for quick ratification in Washington in the summer was a waste of time and money.