GPs in the UK face being named and shamed if they repeatedly fail to spot signs of cancer in their patients, it has been reported.

An NHS whistleblower in England could be sacked for raising concerns that a hospital was fiddling its death rates – bringing into question promises made by ministers to protect those who speak out in the public interest.

Kate and Gerry McCann tonight threatened to pull out of plans to return to Portugal to help police reconstruct the events around their daughter Madeleine’s disappearance amid a furious row over leaked interviews.