'Mole hunt' over Jo Moore email

An inquiry has been launched into the leak of the notorious email sent by Jo Moore, saying that 11 September was a good day to "bury" bad news.

On the orders of the Transport Secretary, Stephen Byers, a "mole hunt" is underway for the person who passed details of the memo to the Press, sparking one of the biggest spin-doctoring disasters of Tony Blair's time in office.

Ms Moore sent the email to a few close colleagues within an hour of the World Trade Center attack.

Last night a spokesman for the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (DTLR) confirmed that a leak inquiry had been launched, adding: "It is a matter of course. It is an internal departmental investigation and normal practice."