Extradition treaty with UK is fair and balanced, says US ambassador

THE American ambassador to Britain has accused MPs of spreading “myths and inaccuracies” about the UK’s extradition treaty with the US.

Louis B Susman claimed the legal agreement “continues to be widely and wrongly condemned by some in parliament” and insisted the US had never denied a British extradition request.

The attack comes ahead of a debate in parliament next week secured by MPs who believe the current arrangements are biased against British citizens.

They have raised the case of Scot Gary McKinnon, who is facing extradition on computer-hacking allegations.

The ambassador said the findings of an independent review last month by former Court of Appeal judge Sir Scott Baker ruled that the arrangements with the US were balanced.

In a statement to the Commons foreign affairs committee, he added: “Even so, the myths and inaccuracies persist.

“Many were repeated as recently as last week. Accusations from Members of Parliament – such as ‘24 Britons have been extradited to the US under the new arrangements and just one American to Britain’, or claims in the media that the Baker Review’s conclusions came ‘despite mountains of evidence to the contrary’ – are simply not true.”

A demand by senior MPs, including former Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell and Labour home affairs committee chairman Keith Vaz, for a debate in the Commons chamber on tougher protections for suspects was turned down. Instead, Monday’s debate will be held in Westminster Hall, which means it will not be subject to a vote.

Mr Susman insisted the treaty was “fair and balanced” and said the US government “strongly supports” it.

He added: “I believe that having signed the treaty, and having had it tested both through the British justice system and by independent experts, it is now incumbent on the UK government to stand in support of it.”