Madeleine McCann’s parents are facing up to the possibility that she is dead - but cling to the hope that their next phone call will tell them she has been found alive, their spokesman said today.

An eye-witness to events on the night Madeleine McCann disappeared today rubbished suggestions her mother’s reaction to the discovery could be suspicious.

The parents of Madeleine McCann were not expecting a visit by Portuguese police today despite widespread speculation that detectives have arrived in the UK.

Efforts to clear the parents of Madeleine McCann of any suspicion were being stepped up today amid expectations of fresh police questioning.

The latest developments in the Madeleine McCann case appear routine, but they suggest the Portuguese authorities may be moving closer to charging her parents.

Missing Madeleine McCann’s parents want to return to Britain as soon as possible amid fears they could be charged over her disappearance.

Missing Madeleine McCann’s parents are awaiting the next twist today in the police investigation into her disappearance after they were both named as suspects.

Missing Madeleine McCann’s father arrived at a Portuguese police station today to face fresh questioning over his daughter’s disappearance as his wife Kate, who now believes she could be charged in connection with Madeleine’s death, left the police station after being interviewed separately by officers having been made an “arguida”, or formal suspect, this morning.