Twenty odd years ago, David Bermingham, then a gunner in the Royal Artillery, was present at the Sovereign’s Parade at Sandhurst Military Academy. It’s reported that he even shook hands with the Queen.

Now, he faces extradition to the U.S. on fraud charges. The “Enron Three”, which include Bermingham, are bankers at NatWest who have been accused of a £4.2m fraud in connection with the Enron scandal.

They claim that what they’re accused of isn’t a crime in the UK. However, new fast-track extradition procedures mean they can be bundled off to American justice without a hearing in a British court. The trick doesn’t work in reverse, though, as the U.S. hasn’t ratified the treaty.

Boris Johnson writes in the Daily Telegraph: “It just seems to be give, give, give, this Special Relationship. And that is why, if Tony Blair is casting around for something he might ask by way of requital for his devotion, I have a suggestion. It is that the Americans should stop treating this country like a vassal state, whose citizens can be whisked off for trial - without any evidence as to their crime — in the territory of the imperial power.”

David Bermingham can probably feel mistreated in this case. The Queen is reported to be taking an interest too.