Police who are looking into what happened to Madeleine McCann will get hundreds of thousands of pounds more to help them find out what happened to the three-year-old.
The Met Police has asked for a large amount of money, which The Sun says is likely to be approved by the Home Office.
Madeleine went missing in May 2007 while on holiday with her family in Praia da Luz, Portugal. She disappeared without a trace from where they were staying.
Since 2011, £13 million has been spent trying to find her. Each year, hundreds of thousands of pounds are spent on this.
Last night, someone who knew about the investigation said that her parents would be “delighted” by the news.
“This is great news,” the source said. Kate and Gerry, Maddie’s parents, will be very happy. It brings new hope.
There were worries that the investigation into the toddler’s case might be cut back because of budget cuts.
Sean and Amelie McCann, Maddie’s brothers and sisters, were in the same room with her when she disappeared.
The twins were born on February 1, 2005. They were only two and a quarter years old at the time. They just turned 18 and are now adults.
Maddie went missing from her bed in a holiday villa while her parents, Gerry and Kate, from Rothley, Leicestershire, were having dinner with friends at a tapas restaurant just 55 metres away.
At 10pm, when Kate checked on the kids, Maddie was gone, but the twins were still soundly sleeping in their cots.
The sixteenth anniversary of Maddie’s disappearance is approaching this year. She would be 19, turning 20 in May, if still alive
Former Met Police detective Peter Bleksley told the paper, “I can see why there is a case as long as there are unanswered questions.”
“But in this time of tight budgets, I can also see why people would raise their eyebrows.
“I can understand how frustrating it is for parents of missing children who don’t have this kind of money.”
A spokesperson for the Home Office said last night that they had received a request for more money, but they didn’t know how much was being talked about.
This year is almost the 16th anniversary of when Maddie went missing. If she were still alive, she would be 19 and turn 20 in May.