Truth about No10 cat Humphrey

Cherie Blair is finally off the hook as the truth about Humphrey the No10 cat is revealed today.

Six months after Labour's triumphant return to office, wild rumours began to circulate that the Prime Minister's wife had ordered the removal of Humphrey because he was unhygienic.

There was even talk he had been put down on the orders of Alastair Campbell because she hated cats.

But Humphrey's Whitehall file, now published, reveals that he was retired on grounds of ill health. In November 1997, eight years after his arrival at No10, Humphrey was on his last legs.

Senior Whitehall official Jonathan Rees, who worked in the PM's Policy Unit, wrote a memo saying it was time for Humphrey to be found "a stable home environment where he can be looked after properly".

To avoid the threat of catnappers, or unsuitable offers of new homes, the news was announced after he had already gone. It was immediately assumed the New Labour spin machine was covering its tracks.

One mystery remains, however. The dossier - obtained by the Daily Telegraph under the Freedom of Information Act - does not reveal where Humphrey is now.

It is not clear whether he died in retirement or is still snoozing on plump pillows in some corner of the home counties.