US attorney general William Barr’s conclusion that President Donald Trump did not obstruct justice, revealed publicly on Sunday in a letter to lawmakers, reflects inherent difficulties in proving such an obstruction case, legal experts said.

President Donald Trump has appeared to cast doubt on the assessment of 17 US intelligence agencies that blame Russia for election meddling, questioning why the Obama administration did not try to stop it.

Russian officials have vehemently denied any role in hacking attacks on the Democratic National Convention and voter-registration databases.

The Government has today been accused of deliberately skewing its own jobs figures.