American intelligence has been asked to look into Marine Le Pen's links to Russia, following her request for a $30 million (£24.3 million) loan to help fund her French presidential campaign from a bank close to Vladimir Putin, according to reports.

Ms Le Pen's Front National party has made no secret of the fact that it has taken foreign loans to help bankroll its presidential campaigns because, it has argued, French banks refuse to stump up the funds.

But in light of allegations of Russian interference in the US election of Donald Trump, scrutiny has now turned to Ms Le Pen, who is polled to reach the final round of France's presidential elections in May.