Whitehall - (Ass Mess): Treasury mandarins are breathing a sigh of relief as the missing child benefits data discs were sighted in Morocco.
The news comes hot on the heels of police moves to formally declare Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling an arguido in the case.
"Although it's been a whole month since the discs went missing we are confident this latest news will fully exonerate us," a Treasury source said today.
Police efforts to find the discs containing the private banking details of half the British population have so far drawn a blank.
HM Revenue and Customs, who lost the data, have said they are confident that the files of 25 million UK taxpayers are not in criminal hands.
"And what's more it's preposterous to even suggest that a child molestor ring might be responsible," an HMRC spokesman snapped at reporters today.
