Via the Sunday Telegraph:

The number of people in Britain seized under the controversial “no-evidence-needed” European Arrest Warrant rose by more than 50 per cent last year, figures obtained by The Sunday Telegraph show.   

The increase will fuel growing political concern about the “unfair” and “disproportionate” nature of the warrants, which British courts have little power to challenge…David Blunkett, the former home secretary who introduced the European warrants, admitted he had been “insufficiently sensitive” about how they could be “overused”. David Davis, his former Tory shadow, last night called for a “review and reform” of the extradition system.

The number of European Arrest Warrant detentions in Britain has risen 43-fold since 2004, when there were only 24 across the year. Many of those detained are accused of relatively minor crimes such as possessing cannabis or leaving petrol stations without paying. They can spend long periods in jail – here and abroad – for crimes which might not even have been prosecuted in Britain. They can also be seized for offences which are not crimes in Britain. Foreign prosecutors do not have to present evidence to the British courts, just demand the person be “surrendered”.

In the absence of arguments based on clear reasons of national interest (reasons that should be subject to judicial review), I have never been particularly happy with the idea of any nation agreeing to extradite its own citizens, but what is happening with regard to these European arrest warrants is an unusually offensive affront to what little is left of traditional English liberties. If David Cameron — who likes to portray himself as a civil libertarian — had any any self-respect he would take the U.K. out of this system. And if that’s against EU law (it would be), do what the French do at times like this — just say “So what?”

I’m not holding my breath.