Envoy rebuked 'for insulting president'

Britain's high commissioner to Malawi has been threatened with expulsion after he called the country's president "autocratic", "combative" and "intolerant of criticism".

Fergus Cochrane-Dyet was summoned to a meeting with the country's foreign minister and given 72 hours to leave after the contents of a diplomatic cable to his superiors in London were published in a local newspaper.

He wrote: "President Mutharika is becoming ever more autocratic and intolerant of criticism.

"The governance situation continues to deteriorate in terms of media freedom, freedom of speech and minority rights."

The Foreign Office said it was waiting for "official notification of what was said at the meeting". Malawi receives 40 per cent of its annual budget in aid from foreign countries, mainly Britain.