Madeleine McCann investigation given more cash

Madeleine McCann was three when she disappeared in May 2007

Ministers have approved more than £100,000 in additional funding for Scotland Yard detectives investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

Home Office sources said a request to provide up to £108,000 was approved for the probe, known as Operation Grange, for 2025-26.

It is understood one detective chief inspector, one detective constable and one member of police staff are working on the investigation.

Funding given to Operation Grange has totalled more than £13.2m since 2011.

The three-year-old disappeared during a holiday in Portugal 18 years ago

Madeleine, from Rothley in Leicestershire, was three when she vanished while on holiday with her parents in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007.

Christian Brückner, the main suspect in her disappearance, was recently cleared of unrelated sex offences in Germany that were alleged to have been committed in Portugal between 2000 and 2017.

The 48-year-old spent many years in Portugal, including in Praia da Luz around the time of Madeleine's disappearance, and is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for the rape of an elderly woman at her home in the resort town in 2005.

He has denied all the charges against him and any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance.

The Metropolitan Police is understood to be continuing its support for authorities in Germany and Portugal.

Det Ch Insp Mark Cranwell, who is overseeing the British investigation into the disappearance, said: "We continue to support Madeleine's family to understand what happened on the evening of 3 May 2007 in Praia da Luz.

"Our thoughts remain with the family."