Burstow plays crucial role in Extradition debate

5.06.18pm UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 18th Jul 2006

Liberal Democrat Chief Whip Paul Burstow played a crucial role in securing a last-minute Commons debate on the treaty which saw the Nat West Three extradited to the USA, less than 48 hours before extradition took place.

Paul Burstow proposed the use of Standing order 24, a rarely-used parliamentary mechanism, which enabled Nick Clegg, the party's Home Affairs Spokesman, to secure the urgent debate.

The speaker's decision to grant the urgent adjournment debate is the first time one has been approved using this process since the debate on Afghanistan in March 24th 2002.

In an extraordinary turn of events, the government did not send its MPs to vote against the motion proposed by the Liberal Democrats at the end of the debate, instead allowing the house to adjourn.

Commenting, Paul Burstow said:

"This treaty was negotiated in secret and has never been open to proper scrutiny."

"With no need for evidence against the three to be presented, and no reciprocal arrangements in place, it was clearly essential that ministers came to the House to answer questions on this lop-sided treaty."

"The fact that the government did not even send its MPs to vote on the motion demonstrates the lack of confidence the Prime Minister has in the support of his own party."