Brits DEVASTED by Alan Johnson
More to the point, he's established that the conditions to use this extradition treaty will never be checked by a Home Secretary.
And since no court ever sees the evidence for extradition for the UK to US leg, and no court can reject extradition based on FALSE or EXAGGERATE evidence... then any British person can be extradited on any false claim.
You may not have any sympathy for this bloke (me too), but he could be anyone in the UK. Since the person, charge and evidence don't make any difference to this.
Suppose for example, Mr Gonzales demands the extradition of Damien Green MP, claiming he supports terrorist financially. Mr Green cannot block the extradition based on the evidence because no evidence is provided, the court isn't allowed to consider it. Mr Green cannot go to some higher court over the UK and USA (like ECHR) because there isn't such a court. So he gets extradited, no judicial check possible.
The idea was that Blunkett trusted the US more than citizens of the UK, so the citizen is PRESUMED to be bad , and the US person demanding extradition, PRESUMED to be good.
The person is extradited, the prosecuted under the US laws. So for example if the US wants to prevent online gambling, and seize the CEOs of betting companies, it can use this and no mechanism ever protects those people from that misuse of this treaty.
What should happen is the proper check should be put in, US submits its evidence that the crime was done and is serious enough to use this treaty, the person challenges or not, a judge decides, and the extradition happens or not.... no slimy politicians involved.
These political disingenuous tricks that Alan Johnson does, have no place in a judicial process.