The old boys at the Home Office are sweating tonight. A diplomatic firestorm is brewing over the extradition of Paris Saint-Germain star Achraf Hakimi. The Morocco captain has been charged with rape in France.
But the real game is being played in Whitehall. Leaks from the Foreign Office suggest the Morocco government is quietly lobbying for a soft touch. They point to the UK-Morocco extradition treaty, signed in 2019.
A treaty that was meant to be a show of strength against corruption and crime. Now it is being tested by a footballer. The French warrant is clear.
But sources whisper that the Moroccan ambassador has been making calls. The Home Secretary is caught between her tough-on-crime image and the delicate trade negotiations with Rabat. One backbench MP told me: 'This is a litmus test.
If Hakimi walks, the treaty is dead.' The clock is ticking. The French are watching.
And the lobby is buzzing. This story has legs. And not the kind Hakimi is famous for.
