The news landed in Whitehall like a lead weight. British intelligence confirmed overnight that Donald Trump has formally nominated Todd Blanche as his Attorney General. This is not a drill.
Sources inside the Home Office are spooked. Blanche is a Trump loyalist. He built his career defending the former president. He has made no secret of his disdain for the UK's legal roadblocks on extradition.
Let's be clear. The post-Brexit extradition arrangements are already a mess. The UK secured a bilateral treaty with the US in 2007. It gave Washington what it wanted. Fast track extradition. Lower evidence thresholds. Now, a Trump appointee with a score to settle could weaponise that treaty.
One Whitehall insider put it bluntly: "Every political dissident, every journalist who crossed Trump in the last decade, will now have a direct line to a Justice Department that sees the UK as a staging ground."
The timing is rotten. Keir Starmer's government is banking on a reset with America. They want a trade deal. They want security cooperation. They do not want a row over extradition. But Blanche's nomination changes the calculus.
Already, the Home Secretary is demanding a review of the 2007 treaty. The Lib Dems are tabling an emergency motion. The Labour left is smelling blood. They see this as proof the special relationship is a one-way street.
Behind the scenes, the Foreign Office is scrambling. They are mapping Blanche's past statements. They are reaching out to Democratic contacts on the Hill. They know the confirmation process will be a bloodbath. They are quietly hoping Blanche gets blocked.
But let's be realistic. Trump is throwing his weight behind this pick. The Senate GOP is in line. Blanche will likely be confirmed by February. Then what?
Expect a spike in extradition requests for UK-based individuals. We are talking about Julian Assange style fights. We are talking about political prisoners. The legal bill for the British taxpayer will be enormous.
The mood in the Ministry of Justice is grim. One senior official told me: "We are not a subsidiary of the US legal system. But Blanche will treat us as one."
The unspoken fear is that Trump will use Blanche to demand the extradition of British nationals who criticised him online. Hate speech laws here are different. The gap is a chasm.
Starmer has a choice. Roll over and risk a backbench revolt. Or stand firm and risk a diplomatic freeze with Washington. No good options.
The coming weeks will be a masterclass in political poker. Watch the Home Office statements. Watch the cross-party motions in Parliament. This is a story that will dominate the 2024 calendar.
For now, Whitehall is holding its breath. The name Blanche has become a four-letter word in certain corridors. And the Game is only just beginning.
