Madeleine McCann: MP's hope reservoir search brings conclusion

The Tatton MP, who is friends with Kate McCann and helped set up the Madeleine McCann fund after she went missing in 2007, shared her emotion in an interview with GB News.

This comes after a German police-led search operation began of the Barragem do Arade reservoir, near to where she disappeared.

The search is being conducted to find evidence to link the disappearance of Madeleine, who would now be 20, to 45-year-old German national, Christian Brueckner.

Ms McVey said: "Watching those pictures there actually brought a lump into my throat. I can't believe it's more than 16 years ago.

"There have been so many false hopes and horizons on the way - people have spotted her, there have been tip offs - and yet we haven't found Madeleine and I genuinely hope for the family this does bring it to a conclusion.

Kate and Gerry McCann (Image: John Stilwell/PA)

"I remember when I last spoke to Kate, she said, ‘Esther, living with hope is exhausting, not sleeping, waking up, every moment hoping I’ll see her, just exhausting’.”

In the discussion with Andrew Pierce and Bev Turner on GB News, Ms McVey added: "I never give hope. They never give up hope.

"If there was one thing Madeleine did, it was to give everybody hope. I just want it in one way, whether it's evidence we collect, whether it's evidence against this Christian Brueckner, it's questions that could be asked, if it's a trail leading somewhere - that’s what we want now, something for the family.

"Madeleine McCann has shone a bright light in the very dark world of missing children and child abduction and, yes, it's about Madeleine but we must open it up to help other missing children, and Gerry and Kate did that.

Madeleine McCann (Image: John Stilwell/PA)

"They made sure that there’s an amber alert system across Europe for other missing children."