The key differences between the investigations into the lost MoD documents and the Hancock CCTV leak

Kim Sengupta explains why the inquiry into the abandonment of sensitive Ministry of Defence documents appears relatively clear cut, whereas the probe into the leaking of CCTV from Matt Hancock’s office is anything but

The Ministry of Defence is carrying out an inquiry into the documents found at a bus stop last week (PA)

Two high-profile Whitehall investigations are under way after a turbulent few days in politics, which saw the departure of health secretary Matt Hancock and the discovery of classified and secret Ministry of Defence documents abandoned rain-sodden beside a bus stop.

There are notable similarities between the two cases, but the final outcomes of the investigations may turn out to be rather different, with what constitutes whistleblowing in the public interest being a key factor.

Neither of the inquiries, each of which involves material having been passed on to the media, should take that long. The identity of the person who left the MoD documents – a senior civil servant – is already known to officials. There are already suspects, it is believed, in relation to the images of Hancock kissing his aide and mistress Gina Coladangelo – the exposure of which led to the health secretary’s resignation.