Jamaican team win UKIP welcome

The announcement that the Jamaican World Athletics team will be training in Birmingham ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games has been hailed by UKIP MEP Nikki Sinclaire.

Birmingham, the country’s second city is determined to play a big part in the nation’s 2012 Olympic Games.

"I extend the welcome to the Jamaican Olympic team - The Olympics are about friendship and co-operation among countries” said Ms Sinclaire.

"UKIP espouses this ideal. The Olympics will be good for the UK and for the West Midlands. I am concerned that the UK retains its individuality and the EU does not try and take over the games as their own."

The Jamaican team decided to be based in Birmingham after talks in Berlin, USA Track and Field are set to sign a deal in the coming weeks to be based in the city.

Chairman of the London Organising Committee Lord Coe is pleased about Birmingham’s involvement in the Olympics.

“These Games will be based in London but I see the impact going way, way beyond the capital. This is a UK-wide event and that’s why it’s vital that cities like Birmingham play their part” said Coe.

“Birmingham has held more World and European championships than any other city in the UK and that reservoir of experience is widely recognised, said the Double Olympic Champion and 12-time world record-holder.

“The city has a great ability to reach out to the sporting community and has shown it can consistently deliver."

Former Minister of State condemns UK's unfair extradition laws

A former Minister of State for Trade has released a statement condemning extradition laws to coincide with the launch of Liberty’s Extradition Watch campaign last night.

Baron Jones of Birmingham, former Trade Minister and Director of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said that the situation must change:

“If we as a nation are to avoid any more appalling situations where UK citizens are lifted…with little burden of proof. People are being extradited (by a judiciary rendered powerless by laws passed by this Government) to a situation which is unacceptable. This is not about guilt and innocence. This is about people being unfairly treated in practice before their trial “

Under current UK law an individual can extradited to another country without even basic evidence being shown in a local court. A YouGov poll, conducted on behalf of Liberty shows a lack of public awareness about extradition in the UK – 70% of those polled did not know about the UK’s extradition procedures.

The poll also revealed that 58% thought the law should be changed. Sabina Frediani, Campaigns Co-ordinator for Liberty, said:

“This poll shows the lack of support for summary extradition. Fast track extradition is justice denied – Extradition Watch, our new campaign, seeks to pressure Government to stop extradition without safeguards.”

At the launch of the campaign, which was chaired by Gillian Tett, speakers Edward Fitzgerald QC and Frank Symeou, father of Andrew Symeou, joined Liberty in criticising the UK’s current extradition arrangements.

In a moving speech Frank Symeou, whose son is currently fighting extradition to Greece on the basis of evidence described as ‘seriously flawed, contradictory and in places ludicrous’, told the audience that: ‘what is happening to Andrew and our family could happen to you…there are serious questions and concerns about the case against my son and it is totally unacceptable that a British court, CPS or even the police cannot examine the flawed evidence against him…..it seems nobody wants to listen’

Liberty believes

• that a person should not be extradited to stand trial in a foreign country without evidence being presented in a British court to prove there is a basic (prima facie) case against them
• If the crime is alleged to have occurred in whole or in part in the UK, then the person should not be extradited if a court here decides it is not in the interest of justice to extradite
• A person in the UK should not be extradited for something that is not a crime in the UK.
  
• British justice should not be circumvented.