Inquiry into ‘malicious’ and calculated leak of Britain’s ambassador’s emails launched The Prime Minister demanded a full inquiry into how Sir Kim Darroch’s confidential cables were leaked to the media

Leaked memos from Britain’s ambassador to the US must have been harvested for over two years as confidential government emails disappear after three months, Whitehall sources have said.

Senior figures within the Government described the decision to leak the highly sensitive diplomatic telegrams – or “diptels” as they are known – as “malicious”.

An inquiry led by the Cabinet Office has now been launched by Downing Street into who divulged Sir Kim Darroch’s emails, which branded the Trump administration “inept”.

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The Prime Minister demanded a full inquiry into how the confidential cables were leaked to the media.

Investigation launched

Her spokesman said it could become a full-blown police investigation “if any evidence of criminality” was found during the probe by the head of the Civil Service.

He also said he had not seen anything to suggest a foreign state might have been behind the leak.

UK officials have apologised to the White House for the leak of documents, which also described President Trump’s policy on Iran “chaotic” and “incoherent”, but not for the content of the emails.

Culprit ‘could be traced’

Speaking in the Commons, the Foreign Office minister Sir Alan Duncan said if a leak culprit could be traced then they should “regret the moment for the rest of their life”, amid suggestions for security service involvement in the inquiry.

Sir Alan revealed that as many as “100 people or more” could have received Sir Kim’s diptels, with the number of recipients dependent on the level of classification of the content. It means the inquiry will have to spread its net across Whitehall in an attempt to try and track down the person behind the leak, including No 10, the Home Office, the Foreign Office, as well as GCHQ, MI6 and various ministers.

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Fingers were being pointed at those who wanted to damage Sir Kim, who is a former UK permanent representative to the EU and characterised by Brexiteers as a Europhile.

The Tory MP Bob Stewart said the leak of was the “act of a traitor”.

The shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry said Sir Kim had been “betrayed” and “hung out to dry even though his only crime was to tell the truth”.