The parents of Madeleine McCann arrived back in UK today and issued an emotional denial that they had any role in the disappearance of their daughter, just 48 hours after being named as suspects by Portuguese police.

Kate and Gerry McCann and their two-year-old twins left Faro Airport in Portugal on an easyJet flight and arrived at East Midlands Airport at 12.17pm.

After leaving the aircraft, Mr McCann, holding one of his twins, read from a prepared statement.

“Whilst it is heartbreaking to return to the UK without Madeleine, it does not mean we are giving up our search.

“As parents we cannot give up on our daughter until we know what has happened.

“Portuguese law prohibits us from commenting further on the police investigation."

Then his voice breaking, Mr McCann added: “Despite there being so much we wish to say, we are unable to do so, except to say this: we played no part in the disappearance of our lovely daughter Madeleine.”

Mr McCann called on the media to respect the family’s privacy now they have returned home. “We want the twins, as much as is reasonably possible, to live an ordinary life in their home country,” he said, “and we want to consider the events of the last few days which have been so deeply disturbing”.

The McCanns insist that their return, which was announced in a surprise statement last night, was “with the full agreement of the Portuguese authorities”.

Justine McGuinness, who was acting as their spokeswoman, told reporters outside Faro airport that the couple were returning to Britain for the sake of their two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie.

“They wish to reintroduce the twins as much as possible to ordinary life in their home country, to consider their response to and future actions in relation to the events of the last few days, which have been so deeply disturbing to them,” she said.

The McCanns will return to Portugal if detectives ask them to attend further interviews, a family friend said. “They are not running away. It is a change of place but they are very happy to help the police,” the friend said. “If they need to come back for interviews, they will come back for interviews.”

The McCanns left their rented house in the village of Praia da Luz at about 7.10am and arrived at the airport’s VIP entrance an hour later. Mr McCann drove the family’s hire car, a silver Renault Scenic in which police claim to have found traces of Madeleine’s blood or DNA, past waiting photographers through two security barriers.

They had checked in and cleared security by 8.30am, and the flight took off only a few minutes late. Photographs taken on a compact camera inside the airport’s VIP lounge show the couple looking relaxed and playing with the twins as they wait to leave.

In one picture Mr McCann has Cuddle Cat, Madeleine’s favourite soft toy, on his shoulder as Sean leans over him. His wife, wearing a badge featuring Madeleine’s face on her lapel, holds Amelie next to him. The twins appear to be joking and jumping around, producing smiles from their parents.

Mr McCann’s sister Trisha Cameron, who flew out to Portugal to support the family, is also pictured in the departure lounge. They were the first people to be taken on board the aircraft and the first two rows were reserved for them, according to one of the journalists booked on the flight.

Mrs McCann sat on the left of the aircraft with the twins next to her, and her husband sat on the other side of the aisle alongside two unidentified people. They looked relaxed but tired, according to the journalist. It is now 129 days since Madeleine disappeared from her family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz while her parents dined with friends at a nearby restaurant.

A spokeswoman for the McCanns confirmed their last-minute decision to fly home today in a statement just after midnight. The McCanns have no bail conditions attached to their arguido (suspect) status and still retain their passports.

But police could in theory apply for a court to impose movement restrictions on them. The couple gave their address in Rothley on the official documentation relating to their arguido status, a family friend said.

Several weeks ago the McCanns made provisional plans to return to the UK with Sean and Amelie today. But they put this on hold after Portuguese police summoned them back in for questioning this week and made them arguidos.

Family friends said yesterday the couple intended to remain in the Algarve for the time being to “help the police”, but were taking legal advice on whether they could return to the UK. In a sudden turnabout they decided to reinstate the original plans late last night.

Mr McCann’s sister Philomena, 43, spoke to her brother on the telephone yesterday, just hours after he left a Portuguese police station following eight hours of questioning. She said the family still hoped to leave Portugal and return to Britain within days, but were worried about how it would be interpreted.

“Gerry is saying he doesn’t want it to look like they are running scared,” she added. “He doesn’t want it too look as if they are running away, because that is nonsense.”

The announcement of the family’s return comes after a series of dramatic developments in the case. On Monday detectives telephoned Mr McCann to summon him and his wife in for further questioning.

On Thursday Mrs McCann went to the headquarters of the Policia Judiciaria (PJ) - Portugal’s CID - in the Algarve town of Portimao and underwent 11 hours of questioning. During the interview detectives suggested that traces of Madeleine’s blood were found in the family’s hire car.

Mrs McCann is understood to have told them angrily there was “no way” this could be the case because they did not lease the vehicle until 25 days after her daughter disappeared. She returned to the police station on Friday and was formally declared an arguida.

Detectives asked her 22 key questions about what happened to Madeleine, including if she accidentally killed her. The 39-year-old GP now fears she will be charged over Madeleine’s death, a family friend said. Mr McCann, 39, was interviewed separately for eight hours the same day, and was also made an arguido.

Portuguese detectives appear to be working on the theory that Mrs McCann allegedly killed her daughter by accident and covered up the death by claiming she was abducted. Test results from the Forensic Science Service in Birmingham received in recent days have apparently boosted this hypothesis.

Mr McCann’s alleged role is not clear, but sources said police believe he was an accessory to the killing. The McCanns, who strenuously protest their innocence, are said to be “in a state of shock but also extraordinarily angry” about Portuguese detectives’ line of questioning.

Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, today said the UK authorities would continue to provide the Portuguese police with any help they need in the hunt for Madeleine. Asked if she remained confident in the Portuguese investigation, Ms Smith told BBC One's The Andrew Marr Show: “I am clear that the Portuguese police have the objective of solving this crime, and most importantly finding Madeleine, and that is what we in our support of the McCanns have tried to do as well.”

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