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Scotland Yard detectives are assessing a complaint about the astonishing security breach which saw the Health Secretary being filmed inside his office.
Officers from the Specialist Crime Command will probe a complaint about how the compromising footage taken in Matt Hancock's office fell into the hands of a national newspaper.
MI5 is also set to be consulted by the Cabinet Office as part of a leak inquiry to see if the disclosure poses a threat to national security.
Officers may consider whether any criminal offences have been committed if security CCTV footage was illegally obtained, or whether any laws were broken in the capturing of the image showing the minister kissing his aide Gina Coladangelo.
A Whitehall investigation was under way last night into the major security breach, which has triggered concerns at the highest level of Government over who could be spying on ministers.
In Whitehall: Matt Hancock (standing up) in his office with Gina Coladangelo (right) and other staff
The Government Security Group, which is in charge of security at 800 buildings across Whitehall, has been asked to investigate, with Alex Chisholm, the Cabinet Office permanent secretary, expected to be in charge of an inquiry.
The leak has raised the worrying prospect that details of ministers' movements and perhaps even the documents they handle could be spied upon and fall into the hands of Britain's enemies.
Sources said the photo showed Mr Hancock and Miss Coladangelo inside his Whitehall office standing against the door. They are only 6ft away from the 'Spin Art' portrait of the Queen by Damien Hirst, which has featured as a backdrop to Mr Hancock's Covid TV broadcasts.
The incriminating pictures were last night believed to be photographs taken of footage shot by a
