Madeleine McCann: Home Office Funds Inquiry

The Home Office has agreed to fund a full-scale Scotland Yard investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

Scotland Yard has been reviewing the evidence for two years after David Cameron personally intervened in the high-profile case.

Home Secretary Theresa May has now approved a move to fund the cost of a proper investigation as detectives pursue fresh leads.

A spokesman said: "The Home Office remains committed to supporting the search for Madeleine McCann.

"We have agreed to provide the Metropolitan Police with the resources they need to investigate her disappearance.”

Scotland Yard refused to comment but said it continued to review a large number of documents and identify potential lines of inquiry.

Madeleine disappeared from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in Portugal on May 3, 2007, days before her fourth birthday.

She had been sleeping in the ground floor flat with her twin siblings as their parents ate dinner at a nearby tapas bar when she vanished.

The Portuguese police's handling of the case, which saw Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry identified as suspects before being cleared months later, was widely criticised.

It eventually shelved its failed investigation in July 2008, prompting the McCanns to push for a joint UK-Portuguese review.

The Prime Minister asked the Metropolitan Police to launch a probe in 2011 after pleas from the family for more to be done.

It revealed last month that detectives have identified a number of "people of interest" they wanted to speak to about the disappearance.

Known paedophiles, holidaymakers and staff working at the resort are thought to be among the dozen suspects identified.

At least some were questioned in the original Portuguese investigation but were dismissed without being fully looked into, according to Sky News crime correspondent Martin Brunt

Scotland Yard believes it has unearthed enough evidence to justify the Portuguese authorities reopening the case but so far they have refused to do so.