Retired Court of Appeal judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick has been chosen to lead the public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire, sources say.

The government is like to confirm Sir Martin's appointment on Thursday.
A legal source who has worked with him said he was "highly respected" in the profession and "intellectually superb".
Appointing people to lead public inquiries can be controversial - the inquiry into historical child sex abuse has had four chairwomen in three years.
Police have said 80 people are now presumed dead in the Grenfell disaster, which happened in west London on 14 June.
But the final death toll will not be known until at least the end of the year.
Most of those who died in the fire were said to be in 23 of the North Kensington tower block's 129 flats.
Sir Martin retired as a Lord Justice of Appeal in December.
As a lawyer, he specialised in commercial law before spending more than 20 years as a judge of the Commercial Court and Court of Appeal.
The prime minister has said a full judge-led inquiry is needed to make sure the disaster was "properly investigated".
Victims will have state funding for legal representation at the inquiry.
The legal source told the BBC: "He (Sir Martin) had a successful practice in shipping law at the Bar and would have had to deal with many technical issues in shipping cases - for example, the causes of a ship sinking.
"This would have meant mastering complex technical evidence and dealing with a raft of expert engineers.
"Though different in nature, these would be engineering issues of similar complexity to those he would have to deal with in the Grenfell inquiry.
"He would also have had to deal with heavy engineering issues while a judge in the commercial court."
The source added: "He is unfailingly courteous (and) prepared to change his mind in the light of persuasive argument and evidence."
Meanwhile, the National Housing Federation - which represents non-profit housing associations in England - has called on the government to "halt the testing on ACM (aluminium composite material) cladding and shift its focus to making people safe".
Cladding from up to 600 buildings across England is being examined by the government. Every sample - 120 so far - has failed fire safety tests.
Chief executive David Orr said: "Since the tragic fire that took place at Grenfell Tower, colleagues across the housing sector have been doing everything they can to reassure residents and take action to make homes safer.
"This includes urgently submitting data and samples to the government's testing programme.
"These tests were the right thing to do, but the results are now conclusive - ACM cladding simply does not pass these tests and is deemed unsafe.
"Across the country, valuable resources - from specialist equipment to expert time - are being poured into a testing process of which the results are already known.
"We are calling on government to halt the testing on ACM cladding and shift its focus to making people safe.
"It is highly likely that this means removing the cladding from hundreds of buildings we were assured were safe - including hotels, private sector blocks, hospitals and student accommodation.
"This process has powerfully demonstrated a systemic failure in construction, manufacturing and the way that regulation has been applied."


German newspapers are dismissive of Monday evening's demonstrations by a group campaigning against what it sees as the "Islamisation" of Europe.

Many stress the fact that counter-demonstrations attracted many more attendees than those of Patriotic Europeans against the Islamisation of the West (Pegida), with the exception of Dresden, where the group originated and brought 18,000 out onto the streets on Monday.
"Pegida flops away from Dresden," says the headline in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung.
The paper's report on the anti-Islam demonstration in Berlin says most of the protesters "have a German flag in their hand, are on average over 60 and often have a little dog with them".
It also describes the protesters' placards as "rather pathetic when compared to the sea of flags and banners reaching into the night sky at the counter-demonstration on the other side of the crowd barrier".
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reports the rally of Pegida's Cologne branch as being a "scattered little bunch", and adds that many protesters are known from previous demonstrations in nearby Duesseldorf and Bonn.
The paper's report mocks some demonstrators' slogans - such as "Potatoes not doner kebabs" as "openly Dadaist [surreal]".
"Failed spectacularly" is the verdict of The Tageszeitung on Pegida's apparent attempt to expand outside of Dresden, adding that it appears restricted to the far right.
"Many thousands of peaceful democrats show a few hundred xenophobes their limits," the paper says, describing it as a "beautiful and important signal".
But it also warns that there is still "silent sympathy" around for Pegida's aims. "The danger represented by Pegida has not been banished, even in the west of Germany."
Germany's biggest newspaper, Bild, comes out strongly in opposition to the anti-"Islamisation" movement.
With the banner headline "No to Pegida", the tabloid's top story is an appeal by dozens of celebrities calling on Germans to oppose the group. Its website urges readers to join an online petition against Pegida.
"We don't need the ideology that underlies these demonstrations," the tabloid says in an editorial penned by Julian Reichelt. "And above all: We don't want them."
He says Muslims living in Germany are "free people in a free country, and no one ought to tell them how to live", adding that even "ultra-strict, backward" forms of Islam have to be tolerated as long as they do not break the law.
Some commentators, however, while condemning Pegida's ideas and aims, warn that its root causes - such as economic dislocation and disaffection with mainstream politics - need to be faced and understood.
A commentary by Berthold Kohler in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung praises the Church's decision to switch off Cologne cathedral's lights in protest against Pegida, arguing that the group's aim "cannot be reconciled with Christianity".
However, he adds, both the Church and Germany's politicians will have to find a way to solve the "justified fears and complaints" that are driving some into Pegida's arms.
Similarly, author Monica Maron, writing in Die Welt, says not all of Pegida's supporters should be demonised as "neo-Nazis", even though some clearly are.
She says many are justifiably concerned at what she sees as the German authorities' failure to defend secularism against conservative Islamic religious groups, and should be taken seriously.
"We have to relearn how to tolerate other opinions without viewing their representatives purely as enemies and scum," Maron writes. "Pegida is not the illness, it is the symptom."
BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook.


Managers are recruiting 131 Filipino nurses to fill staff shortages at hospitals in Lincolnshire.

Previously the United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT) has hired nurses from Greece, Spain and Portugal.
An international support nurse will be put in place to help them adjust to life in the UK.
Head of Nurse Education at the trust, Russell Outen-Coe, said they had "learned many lessons from previous recruitment drives".
"What we've done is recruit an international support nurse at each site to support any nurse that comes to ULHT.
"They can take away many of the problems when they first arrive, things like finding accommodation."
Sheila Marriott, regional director for the Royal College of Nursing, welcomed the support being offered to foreign nurses.
"It is a huge life choice for these nurses and I think it is very important that we make the passage into working for the NHS as easy as possible," she said.
"But, at the end of the day we can't just rely on overseas nurses to plug the enormous gap we've got."
She said one of the problems was a shortage of training places for home-grown nurses.
"There is evidence that where nurses are trained locally they are far more likely to stay in that area," she added.
The trust is responsible for hospitals in Boston, Lincoln and Grantham.


Leaving the European Union would have "serious downsides" for Britain, business lobby group the CBI says.

In its latest report on the subject, the CBI accepts there are problems with EU membership but that these are greatly outweighed by the benefits.
It says most of its members want to stay within the 28-country bloc.
Those on the other side of the hotly contested issue say the UK would be better served through a more distant relationship with the EU.
The CBI's report says the plan for a referendum on membership by 2017 means it is that essential business becomes involved in the debate.
"Just as 'more Europe' isn't the answer to every question, neither is 'no Europe'," the report says. "Being a member of the European Union helps British businesses to grow and create more jobs across the UK."
It says membership gives UK businesses access to more than 500 million customers within the single market, and the EU's size allows its trade negotiators go 'toe-to-toe' with global giants like the US and China to open up their markets.
The CBI also says membership is good for households. It says that if membership is worth about 4-5% of national income, this would mean Â£3,000 for each household on average.
However, the lobby group points to areas where renegotiation would be helpful, in particular on issues such as regulation of smaller firms.
Will Straw, the executive director of the Britain Stronger in Europe campaign, commented: "The CBI report blows a huge hole in the out campaign's argument. Being part of Europe boosts the UK economy by increasing our trade and investment in turn supporting millions of jobs here at home.
"We already have the best of both worlds, trading within the EU and other countries. Why would we put that at risk?"
Who are the groups campaigning to leave the EU?
Vote Leave comprises a cross-party group of MPs and peers from the Conservatives and Labour, and UKIP's only MP Douglas Carswell.
It is being run by Taxpayers' Alliance campaign group founder Matthew Elliot, who organised the successful 'No2AV' campaign in the referendum on Westminster's voting system, and Dominic Cummings, a former special adviser to Conservative cabinet minister Michael Gove.
It has the backing of three existing Eurosceptic groups: Conservatives for Britain; Labour Leave and Business for Britain, and is being funded by party donors.
Leave.EU was formerly called The Know and rebranded when an amended referendum question was proposed. Founded by UKIP donor Arron Banks, it has been described by UKIP leader Nigel Farage as an "umbrella group" of anti-EU campaigners.
It describes itself as "Britain's fastest-growing grassroots organisation" and claims to have gained 175,000 members since The Know was launched in August.


Described as a kind, hard-working Christian woman, Gladys Wundowa had already been up and working for several hours before she met her death on a morning bus in Tavistock Square on 7 July 2005.

The mother of two left her home in Chadwell Heath, Essex, at 0400 BST for University College London, where she worked as a cleaner.
Some five hours later, she left UCL for an appointment in Hackney, and boarded the number 30 bus that was blown up by suicide bomber Hasib Hussain at 0947 BST.
The 50-year-old emerged from the wreckage but died shortly after from her injuries.
Her husband, an architect who was working as a security guard, watched the news on television and became concerned when his wife failed to arrive home.
After a three-day search, the family received confirmation she was dead.
Born in Ghana in 1955, Gladys was one of six born into a coca-farming family.
Known affectionately as Ama, she attended the local primary and middle schools but her parents could not afford to send her to secondary school.
Instead, she took on jobs carrying cement blocks on building sites and mining a salt lake to support her family.
In time she moved to the Ghanaian capital, Accra, where she worked for a Lebanese family as a maid, and when the family moved to London, she went with them.
After a year in the UK, the family left but Gladys stayed, finding work as a cleaner at UCL and enrolling on a hairdressing course.
In 1994, she started volunteering at a charity which helped African immigrants to settle in London, and three months before her death began a course in housing management.
She was heavily involved in Downs Baptist Church in Hackney.
It was shortly after moving to the UK that a friend introduced her to Emmanuel Wundowa.
Two years later, they had a daughter, Azuma, and married in 1991. A son, Zakari, followed a year later.
In a statement made to the police in 2006, Mr Wundowa said Gladys was a committed and loving wife and mother, and "a kind, hard-working and benevolent, very helpful Christian woman".
Mr Wundowa told the BBC he and his wife had made plans to move back to Ghana and live in a house they were in the process of building.
"She never had a problem with anyone. She would give her last dime to make you comfortable. And cheerful, always smiling," he said.
In the days after Gladys's death, the Ghanaian president at the time, John Kufuor, visited the grieving Wundowa family and friends in Essex to offer his condolences. He had been on his way back to Ghana after an official visit to Jamaica.
Gladys Wundowa was buried in her home village in Ghana, where 2,000 mourners attended her funeral.


It was declared a "public nuisance" but after burning for almost seven months the compost fire in Beenham, Berkshire, has finally been extinguished.

So, just how long can fires burn?
The blaze at the abandoned Good2Grow recycling centre started on 30 November last year and was put out on 21 June.
But that is no match for the world record for the longest-burning fire which is believed to have started around 5,000 years ago at a coal seam beneath Mount Wingen in New South Wales, Australia, and is still smouldering.
"Lightning struck the coal seam where it reached the Earth's surface," said a spokesman for Guinness World Records.
"Today, the fire is now burning around 30m (100ft) underground, as it has slowly eaten away at the seam."
In Hertfordshire, fire crews were on site for 15 days in Hemel Hempstead when a "deep-seated fire" burned in a large pile of recycled timber in November last year.
"How long can fires burn? How long is a piece of string?
"As long as there is a fuel supply and oxygen to supply it, a fire can burn indefinitely," said Steve Tant, policy support officer for the Chief Fire Officers' Association operations directorate.
He said the fire service would "never walk away" from a burning fire which is likely to endanger life, property or affect the economy.
Underground fires tend to burn longest, he said.
"They have the right conditions, particularly if they are on a coal seam where there is a constant fuel source.
"The dangers involved in trying to extinguish these types of fires - the risk to life, the environment, not to mention the sheer cost due to the millions of tonnes of water you would need - it's the Devil's own job to get them to go out."
In the US, a fire set in 1884 by striking miners in New Straitsville, Ohio is still burning underground.
"It's now a tourist feature," said Laura Thrapp, president of New Straitsville History Group.
"Visitors ask how they can find it - we tell them to look for the smoke billowing up from the fire holes."
In the 1930s, the government intervened as the fire was beginning to spread to parts of the town. Residents were evacuated and homes demolished.
"A barricade was built around the town to try and stop it spreading - the old mine works were dug out and back-filled with clay," said Ms Thrapp.
"It should have worked but it did not, and in the 1970s one of the highways had to be moved because it kept sinking."
She said residents had been known to brew coffee straight from their wells because the soil was so warm, or even fry eggs over the fire holes.
It is estimated the fire, which is currently smouldering under nearby Wayne National Forest and does not pose a threat to infrastructure, could burn for at least another 100 years.
UK Coal said one of the biggest underground coal fires in the UK happened last year at Daw Mill Colliery near Coleshill in Warwickshire.
Gordon Grant, of UK Coal, said: "It lasted for several weeks and is regarded as one of the biggest fires the industry has seen for at least 30 years.
"It was described by the miners who tackled it as a 'raging inferno'."
He described the 50-year-old mining roadways underground as a "huge network".
"The oxygen supply was turned off the night the fire broke out, which gives you some indication of just how long it took that oxygen to disperse," he said.
Mr Grant added: "The main thing is no-one was injured."


A cross-Solent ferry is being retired from service after more than three decades sailing between between the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth.

Wightlink Ferries' vessel St Helen has sailed 104,832 times, clocking up 733,824 miles (1,180,975 km) - the equivalent of travelling about 29 times around the world.
Former crew members will be on board for its final day's sailing later.
It has been sold to new owners in the Mediterranean.
Captain Peter Hayes said St Helen had been the "flagship of the fleet".
"She's been so reliable and provided such a good service over these past 32 years, we'll be sorry to see her retire and move to warmer climates," he added.
The Saint Class vessel was the last ship to be built at the Leith shipyard of Henry Robb Shipbuilders and Engineers.
Pupils from St Helen's Primary School in Ryde will also be among those on board for the sailing.
Children from the school had been on board when the ship was inaugurated in 1983.


Barnsley have signed defender Dimitri Cavare from French Ligue 1 side Stade Rennais on a two-year deal, with the option of a further 12 months.

Cavare, 22, was on trial with Huddersfield Town in pre-season and joins Barnsley for an undisclosed fee.
"This is a fantastic deal for the club and I am delighted have to secured his services," boss Paul Heckingbottom said.
"Everything I have seen of him has really impressed me."
Meanwhile, Heckingbottom, 40, told BBC Radio Sheffield that Ghana defender Andy Yiadom's move to Huddersfield Town is now off.
The Tykes boss had said Yiadom would not be considered for selection while he was "in limbo" but he could now be involved in Barnsley's game against Sheffield United on Saturday.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


Economy Minister Simon Hamilton has been accused of using firms receiving RHI subsidy as a "political football".

Businesses getting the subsidy are in court opposing Simon Hamilton's intention to publish their names.
Their lawyer said the proposal to release the names was far from being about the public interest.
Rather, he said, it was an attempt to "divert attention" from "ministerial & departmental responsibility" for the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme.
Former first minister Arlene Foster set up the scheme in 2012 when she was enterprise minister; it was an attempt by the Northern Ireland Executive to increase the creation of heat from renewable sources.
But flaws in setting the scheme's subsidy rate left it open to abuse as claimants could earn more cash the more fuel they burned, with the overspend estimated to cost taxpayers some Â£490m.
Martin McGuinness resigned as deputy first minister last month when Mrs Foster refused to step aside during an inquiry into the debacle.
Sinn FÃ©in's refusal to nominate a replacement left Secretary of State James Brokenshire with no option but to call fresh Assembly elections on 2 March.
The barrister said it was a matter of notoriety that there was a "significant suggestion that DUP cronies have benefited from the scheme".
He referred to an assembly debate last month in which Mr Hamilton alluded to the fact that MLAs from other parties had links to people in the scheme.
"Obviously the public interest he (Mr Hamilton) seems to suggest is 'there's been a lot of criticism of the DUP and I want to see everyone tarred with the same brush'.
"It's clear that these people are being treated as a political football," the lawyer said.
He said Mr Hamilton's insistence on publication of the names flew in the face of advice from his civil servants.
The court heard that 834 firms had replied to a letter from the department seeking permission to publish their details, and that 94% of them objected.
Among the reasons they cited were:
The lawyer said said the minister's intention to release the names on the day the assembly dissolved was further evidence that publication was not about transparency.
Five hundred firms are members of the Renewable Heat Association that is taking the action.


Parliament in Kosovo has amended the constitution to allow the creation of a special court to investigate alleged war crimes committed by ethnic Albanian fighters during the war in the 1990s.

The now-disbanded Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) has been accused of various war crimes, including organ-harvesting from murdered Serb captives.
Opposition politicians boycotted the vote on the establishment of a court.
But the prime minister said the issue was a "challenge we have to deal with".
The United States and the European Union have pressed Kosovo to address the accusations.
The constitutional changes were backed by 82 deputies in the 120-seat parliament on Monday.
Former KLA rebels who have become politicians were among those in parliament who opposed the vote. Ex-KLA fighters are held in high regard by many in Kosovo's majority Albanian population.
But PM Isa Mustaf told legislators before the vote: "Finding the truth about some allegations from during and after the war is a challenge that we have to deal with."
In May EU judges in Kosovo convicted 11 former Kosovo Albanian guerrillas over their role in the conflict. Among those sentenced to prison was Sylejman Selimi, Kosovo's ambassador to neighbouring Albania.
The new tribunal will be part of Kosovo's judicial system, but proceedings will be handled abroad, with reports they may be held in the Netherlands.
Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority fought an insurgency against Serb forces in the late 1990s, in which more than 10,000 people were killed and hundreds of thousands driven from their homes.
Nato bombed Serb positions to halt the persecution of civilians and, in June 1999, Kosovo was placed under UN administration.
Kosovo formally declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a move that was opposed by Belgrade. The international community is split over recognition.


British and Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland's comments about New Zealand's treatment of Lions scrum-half Conor Murray are "desperate", says All Blacks boss Steve Hansen.

Gatland says the All Blacks illegally targeted Murray during the Lions' 30-15 first Test defeat in Auckland and could have caused a career-ending injury.
"What he's implying is we are deliberately going out to injure somebody, and that's not the case. I guess he might be a bit desperate," said Hansen.
The Lions face Super Rugby champions the Hurricanes at Wellington's Westpac Stadium on Tuesday, with the second match of the three-Test series at the same venue on Saturday.
Gatland said New Zealand dived "blindly" at Murray's standing leg whenever he launched a box kick in Auckland.
He will seek discussions with the second Test's referee, Jerome Garces.
"I thought that was a little bit dangerous, and after he's kicked he's been pushed a few times, and pushed to the ground," said Gatland.
But Hansen said on Radio Sport NZ: "It's just really, really disappointing to hear him say that, and take the gloss off not only the Test match but from his own team's performance as well.
"As a New Zealander, I would expect him to know the New Zealand psyche. It's about playing hard and fair.
"We are trying to charge the kick down, and/or tackle him. Both those things are legal.
"Just because he is one of their key players, it doesn't mean to say he has a right to go around the park without being charged down or tackled."
After the game, Gatland said the All Blacks played a "very direct" style, which he believes would have been criticised if used by the Lions.
"It's another predictable comment coming from Gats," said Hansen. "He is looking to take the heat off his own team."
Gatland is set to bring flanker Sam Warburton and lock Maro Itoje into the starting XV for the second Test after the Lions were physically dominated in the series opener.
Tour captain Warburton and Itoje impressed as second-half replacements in Auckland.
Gatland said: "We might have to shake it up a little bit.
"Someone like Maro Itoje made an impact coming off the bench and was very physical.
"Sam Warburton was excellent as well at the breakdown when he came on."
Former Lions and England coach Clive Woodward said on Sunday that the Lions should change tactics rather than personnel as they attempt to win the final two Tests.
"We didn't lose the game based on selection," he told BBC 5 live's Sportsweek.


Scottish band the BMX Bandits have been announced as one of the acts playing a new contemporary music stage at the Wickerman Festival.

The Phoenix Tent will also host New York indie pop outfit The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.
Joining them will be SLUG, a new band fronted by former Field Music bassist Ian Black and collaborative duo Aidan Moffat and Bill Wells.
The festival near Dundrennan takes place on 24 and 25 July.
The Wickerman Festival's Brian Reynolds said: '"With just five weeks to go until this year's festival, it's fantastic to announce our new stage and the raft of talent that it will showcase.
"We are confident that the mix of acts will be a big hit with Wicker fans."


Neil McCann has swapped the pundit's chair for the dugout after agreeing to become Dundee's interim boss until the end of the season.

But how hard is the transition? How difficult is it to swap the glare of the camera for the focus of thousands of supporters? BBC Sport Scotland looks at some of the big names who have crossed the Rubicon.
The former winger, who had a previous coaching spell at Dunfermline Athletic, has worked as a pundit covering Scottish football for Sky Sports. He decided to accept Scottish Premiership outfit Dundee's offer of becoming interim boss until the end of the season.
He succeeds Paul Hartley at Dens Park with Dundee second bottom of the table and fighting for their top-flight safety.
"It's not a big risk for me - it's maybe a big risk for the club, a lot of guys will think, because I've not been in a job before," said the 42-year-old.
"This opportunity was just too good to turn down."
"I'm not going to kid anyone on and say, 'it's just going to be easy', because it's not. There's a lot of hard work ahead. The other sides in and around us will have that same mentality. It's a massive job.
"I think most people know the type of person I am, type of character, the standards that I liked to have when I was playing and training - those qualities I would like to think I'll bring to the football club.
"It's my job now to sit with the players and try to get them to understand the requirements that's going to get them that extra yard or that extra wee bit that's going to be enough to see us win games of football."
McCann started his playing career as a winger at Dundee in 1992 and enjoyed stints at Hearts, Rangers, Southampton and Falkirk before ending his career at Dens Park in 2011. He also won 26 caps, scoring three international goals.
Former Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville was sacked by Valencia in March 2016 after less than four months in charge of the Spanish club.
The 41-year-old, who was part of the England coaching set-up under Roy Hodgson, has returned to his previous role as Sky Sports analyst.
Valencia won three of their 16 league games under the former television pundit, and 10 of 28 games overall.
Neville said he wanted to stay but results had "not been to my standards" or those "required by this club". Neville's management career began with a Champions League loss to Lyon at the Mestalla and it was not until 13 February that Los Che clinched the first of only three league wins.
Cup competitions provided some respite for Neville, with seven wins coming in the Copa del Rey and Europa League.
Neville retired from playing in 2011 after 602 Manchester United appearances and 85 England caps. He won 16 trophies at United and represented his country at five major tournaments.
Former England captain Alan Shearer was in charge of Newcastle for a short spell in 2009, in his only stint in football management to date.
Shearer quit playing in 2006 as Newcastle's record goalscorer before becoming a Match of the Day pundit.
"I've been out of football for over four years and I'm not looking to get back into it," he told the BBC in 2013.
In eight games as manager, he could not prevent the Magpies being relegated from England's top flight.
"I love my job and know I'm lucky to have it. Could I see myself returning to management? Probably not," Shearer told BBC Newcastle.
Born in Gosforth, just three miles from St James' Park, Shearer scored 206 goals in 404 appearances for his boyhood club after joining for a then-world record £15m fee in 1996.
He began his career at Southampton and won the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers in 1995 before moving on to Newcastle.
He was named Magpies manager on a short-term deal in April 2009, with boss Joe Kinnear undergoing triple heart bypass surgery. Shearer took over with the club two points in the relegation zone but one win in eight games saw them drop out of the Premier League, finishing one point behind Hull.
Bellshill-born McCoist was a Rangers player for 15 years as well as playing for St Johnstone, Sunderland, Kilmarnock and Scotland.
After retiring in 2001, McCoist continued to build a burgeoning media career, which included being a team captain on BBC's A Question of Sport.
He returned to football in 2004 as part of Walter Smith's Scotland coaching staff, and he followed Smith to Ibrox as assistant manger in 2007, before stepping up as his successor in summer 2011 while Rangers were still in the Scottish Premier League.
He subsequently led the side from the bottom tier of Scottish football by winning two consecutive league titles.
Expressing his gratitude to the Rangers supporters following his departure, McCoist said: "They were superb and they backed me and my staff.
"They also stood firm when their club was in dire straits and even at the bleakest moments they did not flinch.
"They are the heart and soul of this club and no-one should ever forget that."
McCoist has returned to his football pundit role since his managerial stint at Ibrox.


Shrewsbury Town have signed winger Moha El Ouriachi and striker George Waring from Premier League side Stoke City, both on a six-month loan.

Chester-born former Everton trainee Waring, 21, is yet to make a first-team appearance for Stoke, but scored six times in 19 League One appearances on loan at Barnsley two seasons ago.
He then had 14 games on loan at League Two side Oxford United last season.
El Ouriachi, 20, joined Stoke from Barcelona after rejecting a new deal.
Their arrival adds to the nine pre-season signings made by Town boss Micky Mellon, on top of which he added young striker Ivan Toney on a half-season loan from Newcastle United.
Shrewsbury have started the new League One season indifferently, picking up just one point from their first two games, although they did knock Championship side Huddersfield Town out of the EFL Cup.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


One of Poland's deadliest-ever cold snaps killed at least 21 people over the weekend, with temperatures falling to -18C (-0.4F), officials say.

That means that since 1 November at least 39 people have been killed by cold weather in Poland.
Six people slipped and fell to their deaths in the Tatra Mountains on the border with Slovakia.
Meanwhile in the German city of Bremen 300 migrants were reportedly evacuated from tents.
Since the New Year freezing temperatures have made conditions even more difficult for migrants living in temporary accommodation.
The water supply and heating to the tents in Bremen had stopped working, officials told the Neue Osnabrucker Zeitung newspaper.
Other German media said migrants waiting to be registered as refugees were standing in freezing temperatures outside government offices in Berlin, which have reopened after the holidays.


Reshuffles are often chaotic affairs, and go badly wrong.

It's said, in recent years, an unnamed minister had to wait a couple of days to be informed about his new post because a Post-It note with his name on it had dropped off the board, and, in the frenzy, he was completely forgotten.
Theresa May's first reshuffle in contrast has felt efficient in its method, and clinical in its politics.
By removing a group seen as a clique, with Michael Gove and Nicky Morgan following George Osborne out of the door, she calls a formal halt to the influence of the so-called Notting Hill Tories - those modernisers who had gathered around David Cameron's leadership and owned the top echelons of the Tory Party for so long.
But it's not as simple as "out with the old, and in with the new" because some experienced ministers who have been around are being rewarded for years of sober work - grafters, more "gin and Jag" Conservatives than metropolitan movers.
By also including Eurosceptics like David Davis, Liam Fox and Andrea Leadsom, Theresa May insures herself against some protests from those who campaigned to leave the EU that Brexit isn't moving fast enough.
But there are new faces as well - promotions for Karen Bradley, James Brokenshire, Baroness Evans  - not well known, a political generation that's come after David Cameron and George Osborne.
The new prime minister has moved quickly to stamp her brand all over a new administration.
It feels less like a reshuffle, more like a new government. On Day Two in the job, these decisions however agonising, might be the easy part.


A 29-year-old man who subjected his pregnant partner to a prolonged period of sexual and physical abuse has been jailed for 12 years.

Joseph Martin Healy raped, urinated on and choked his partner when she was eight months pregnant with their child.
Londonderry Crown Court also heard that he bit and scraped her with a kitchen knife in their home.
The woman reported the abuse to the police in September 2013.
On Thursday, a judge said the sexual and physical violence perpetrated by Healy was some of the worst he had encountered.
Healy, whose address was listed as Maghaberry Prison, stood impassively in the dock as the judge outlined in graphic detail the eight charges he had admitted.
The abuser carried out the sexual and physical assaults on his partner of three years between February and September of 2013, when she was 20 years old.
The offences took place during her pregnancy and continued after she had given birth.
The judge said the rapes took place on three consecutive mornings after the victim was woken by Healy urinating on her face.
Healy also punched his partner to heighten his sexual feelings during intercourse.
The judge said there was "humiliating violence over and above the sexual offending".
"There is no doubt that this offending was all carried out during a time when the victim was, in effect, dictated to by the defendant," he added.
"There is a not insignificant age gap of some five years, which may well be very relevant.
"There has been a lasting impact on the victim and one can only hope that she and her child will have a good future."
After his arrest in 2013, Healy admitted the physical abuse to the police, but denied the sexual offences.
One one occasion, after abusing his partner, Healy assaulted her mother 48 hours after he was released from residential care.
He was jailed for 18 months for that offence in January last year.
A victim impact report compiled by a consultant psychiatrist stated that the victim had suffered considerably on a psychological level and that her ongoing treatment and medication would continue for the foreseeable future.
Healy's trial date was fixed for last May, but shortly before the trial was due to start, he changed his not guilty pleas and admitted the offences.
As well as the 12-year sentence, Healy will be subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order for an indefinite period.
"If you had contested these matters and had been found guilty by a jury, I would have imposed a sentence of 16 years," the judge told Healy.


The search is on for the winner of an unclaimed winning lottery ticket worth £1m.

The National Lottery windfall has been won with a ticket bought somewhere in Denbighshire for the 1 April draw.
It matched the Lotto Millionaire Raffle draw - AQUA 6323 7030 - but no-one has come forward.
The mystery ticket holder has until the end of September to submit their claim - otherwise the money will go to lottery good causes.
"We're urging everyone who bought a Lotto ticket in this area to check their old tickets again or look anywhere a missing ticket could be hiding," said Andy Carter from the National Lottery.
"Try checking in the pockets of clothing, in wallets, bags and down the back of the sofa - someone out there could literally be sitting on a fortune."


Scientists have confirmed that a species of wild crow from New Caledonia in the South Pacific can craft tools.

The birds were observed bending twigs into hooks to extract food hidden in wooden logs.
Previously this skill had been seen in captive birds kept in laboratories.
The study, published in the journal Open Science, suggests that this talent is part of the birds' natural behaviour.
In 2002, a captive New Caledonian crow - called Betty - astonished scientists.
Researchers at the University of Oxford presented her with an out-of-reach bucket of food.
To retrieve it, she bent a piece of wire into a hook -  the first time such tool-making skills had been seen in the animal world.
Betty died in 2005, but over the years, the experiment was successfully repeated with other captive birds - including rooks, which have not been seen to use tools in the wild.
Lead author Dr Christian Rutz, from the University of St Andrews in Scotland, said: "It seemed as if this was something that the birds spontaneously invented in the lab."
While it has long been known that wild New Caledonian crows use twigs to extract grubs from wooden logs, the researchers say there is now enough evidence to confirm that they also bend them into hooks just like their captive counterparts.
In a series of experiments, the researchers captured crows from the tropical forests of New Caledonia, and placed them for short periods of time in make-shift aviaries.
Dr Rutz said: "This means we can test them under highly controlled experimental conditions - but the kind of experiments we do there, they don't look at how smart these animals are, they ask what sort of tool behaviour they express naturally."
The crows were presented with a wooden log, which had some tasty snacks tucked into holes in the surface.
"The only other thing we provided in the aviary was the plant material, which we knew they naturally used for tool-making in the wild," explained Dr Rutz.
"So the task was very simple, we asked our subjects to make tools, then use these tools to extract the hidden food."
The crows did not need to fashion hooks to retrieve the treats, but 10 of the 18 wild-caught birds did so.
The researchers observed them snapping thin branches off of the shrubs, holding the twigs down with a foot, then bending the end into a hook - just as Betty had done with the wire.
During further field research, the scientists also saw the birds manufacturing hook-shaped contraptions outside of the aviaries - confirming that this was part of the crows' natural behaviour.
The researchers say they believe that the New Caledonian crows are fashioning twigs into hooks to improve the performance of the tools.
"We think the bending helps with the tool ergonomics," said Dr Rutz.
"It helps them to position their tools in their bill, and centre the tip of the tool - the functional end they insert into holes and crevices - to centre that in their field of binocular vision."
He said the finding that wild New Caledonian crows had this ability shouldn't detract from Betty's original performance.
"But", he added, "it raises the possibility that she just expressed natural behaviour rather than assessing the task and then coming up with a clever solution."
The researchers now want to find out how tool-use comes about - to see if it is innate or learned as younger birds watch the older generation. The team also want to know whether other species of birds use tools to see whether this behaviour is rare or widespread.
Prof Alex Kacelnik, from the University of Oxford, who carried out the original experiments with Betty, told BBC News: "I'm delighted to see that the findings made one  and a half decades ago in the lab are now corroborated by work in the field."
"It would be surprising if an ability displayed by captive animals were not within the range of what wild animals can do."
He added that Betty used a number of different methods to bend wires into hooks, and could also unbend them when required - behaviour not yet seen in the wild.
"We never claimed that Betty was a freak with exceptional intelligence, and as they correctly say, this is evidence neither for or against an exceptional cognitive capacity in the animals."
Also commenting on the research, Dr Nathan Emery, from Queen Mary University of London and author of Bird Brain: An exploration of avian intelligence, said it was an interesting study but added that Betty still deserved some credit.
"Despite the fact that New Caledonian crows naturally bend pliable yet strong material into hooks, there still remains the significant finding that Betty solved a novel problem using an innovative solution with a novel material," he said.
"I think it wouldn't be wise (or fair) to completely dismiss Betty's ability to solve a novel problem using a novel material, even if the means of making a hook were part of her biology."
Follow Rebecca on Twitter @BBCMorelle


A village which was abandoned during World War Two and then taken over by the military has opened to the public.

Imber in Wiltshire is normally closed to civilians as it is in a Ministry of Defence (MoD) training zone on Salisbury Plain.
The population was told to leave in December 1943 and has never returned.
The isolated village and St Giles Church, the only building left intact after the Army took over, will be open to visitors until 5 January.
Public access to Imber is granted by the MoD on up to 50 days each year.
But with military training dictating dates of public access and the MoD reserving the right to close off access without notice, the number of days granted falls well short of that.
However Neil Skelton, a custodian of the Grade I listed church, said when public access is granted, the church always attracts large numbers of visitors.
On the four open days over Easter, around 4,000 people visited, while the Christmas carol service had to be made ticket-only for the first time this year in a bid to limit the congregation to just 250.
"Anywhere that has restricted access always has an interest from a public point of view and people do take advantage of the opening," he said.
St Giles Church will be open between 11:00 and 16:00 GMT along with the village of Imber until 5 January.


A teenager has died and a 28-year-old woman is in a critical condition after a car crash in North Ayrshire.

The collision between two vehicles on the A760 Largs to Kilbirnie Road happened at about 22:30 on Friday.
An 18-year-old man was driving a Nissan Juke towards Largs when he collided with a Ford Focus travelling in the opposite direction near Mills Dairy.
The 17-year-old female passenger in the Nissan died at the scene. The driver has serious chest injuries.
He is being treated at Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock where his condition is described as serious but stable.
The woman who is in a critical condition was a passenger in the Ford Focus. Police Scotland said she had "very serious injuries" and is being treated at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.
The 32-year-old driver of the Focus suffered minor injuries and has been released from hospital.
Police have appealed for witnesses to contact them.


An experienced mole catcher is looking for an apprentice willing to take up the traditional trade so he can retire.

Albert Morton, 69, from Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire, started his business in 1963 and is thought to be the area's last mole catcher.
Mr Morton said: "I'd much prefer to get somebody and teach them how to do it, so it carries on."
He said the mechanical spring traps he used were the most humane way of killing the moles.
Mr Morton, who works in the areas around Halifax, Sowerby Bridge and Hebden Bridge in Calderdale, said the job would suit someone who liked fresh air.
Live updates and more stories from Yorkshire
He said mole catching was "just one of those old country crafts and I don't want it to die out".
"If there was any suffering or cruelty I wouldn't do it."
He has more than 300 customers ranging from farmers to golf course owners.
"This year it has gone manic but now I'm getting near to my sell-by-date", he said
He started to learn the trade in the 1960s when Mr Morton's father suggested he should help the then mole catcher who was looking to pass his skills on.
Mole hills are caused as the mole, which spends most of its time underground, burrows towards the surface and can cause damage to grassed areas.
They are particularly prevalent in damp conditions as worms come to the surface and are followed by the moles looking to feed on them.


More video game news sites must place a spotlight on the misogynistic abuse that could drive women from the industry, a developer has demanded.

Brianna Wu, who said she faced death threats after speaking out, said the sites could help change the industry's culture.
A debate is raging in the sector about claims of corrupt relationships between some developers and reviewers.
But it has also regularly veered into the issues of feminism and misogyny.
"Every woman I know is terrified that what happened to me will happen to them next. And this is a true campaign of terror on women in the field," she told BBC News.
Ms Wu fled her home on Friday 10 October after graphic sexual threats were made against her.
The next day, she shared screenshots of tweets from one user who had threatened to murder her and her family, and had posted her home address to prove they knew where she lived.
The abuse came after she shared pictures on Twitter mocking players with sexist attitudes, who had used the Twitter hashtag GamerGate.
Her latest comments coincide with Ada Lovelace Day, an annual event celebrating women's feats in technology and science.
Ms Wu, head of development at games company Giant Spacekat, also said that internet services needed to do more to help police trace those who posted abuse.
"As it currently is, when crimes occur, law enforcement frequently cannot locate the people that are doing it," she said.
"We need to get more serious as a culture about making it possible for law enforcement to act in very serious situations like this.
"GamerGate could very seriously drive most women out of the industry. I realise that's a very strong statement and I absolutely mean it. I don't know a single woman in this field who is not asking herself if she wants to stay."
Ms Wu's experience was similar to those of games reviewer Anita Sarkeesian and developer Zoe Quinn, who were also on the receiving end of abuse.
Allegations about Ms Quinn's personal relationships with journalists were presented as evidence of "possible corruption" in the industry.
Ms Sarkeesian was hounded after releasing the latest in a series of video blogs that criticised bestselling games for propagating sexist stereotypes.
In response to the treatment meted out to Ms Sarkeesian, thousands of people signed an open letter calling on the gaming industry to change.
Ms Wu singled out IGN and Giant Bomb as two popular websites that she said had not drawn enough attention to the abuse aimed at women.
"They are choosing not to cover this story, or Zoe's story, or any of these stories. This has a real silencing effect," she told the BBC.
"These are video game sites that are tailored towards men, so the people that most need to understand the harassment and culture that's being created, the sites that speak to them are not covering this."
While Giant Bomb has not covered the debate in depth, it did report Ms Wu's story on Monday. Readers of both IGN and Giant Bomb have also discussed the wider debate on their forums.
Neither of the two sites was able to comment when asked for a response.
The increasingly bitter GamerGate debate, she said, mirrored the polarisation of American politics.
"It is not a secret that I am a feminist and I have more liberal views and a lot of these GamerGaters have more right-wing views," she said.
"What we are seeing now is this political polarisation spreading into different industries. It is certainly happening to women in tech and it is certainly happening to women in games."
Those who have used the GamerGate hashtag, which was coined by actor Adam Baldwin, have argued that their core demand was better ethical standards in gaming journalism.
They have called for journalists with conflicts of interest to disclose relevant personal relationships or avoid writing altogether about the work of their friends.
"GamerGate is anything BUT a bunch of mindless misogynists trying to shut down women in gaming," wrote one user of the IGN website, who used the pseudonym RoboJules.
"It's never been about that. GamerGate is reformation of games media."
Others have argued that some women in the industry are not "real gamers", but rather "social justice warriors" using gaming as a proxy battlefield.
But RoboJules addresses this point in a follow-up blog, saying: "Social justice has its place, even in gaming, but it's not the only part of gaming.
"Some things exist purely for the entertainment of a particular audience, and not every game has to be socially conscious. If social justice has any place in gaming, it's to promote socially conscious game development for the future; not to scorn games and gamers for not catering to a certain agenda."
The debate, however, has regularly been punctured by bouts of abuse against those who have claimed that GamerGate had its origins in the misogynistic hounding of Ms Quinn.
Several other women who have discussed the topic have also complained that they have been targeted with threats of murder and rape.


The two spacecraft at the centre of the Rosetta comet landing managed to find time to have an interstellar conversation on Twitter.

Their exchanges have been grabbing attention because they have been using some fairly non-technical and human language.
@ESA_Rosetta's job was to take the landing device @Philae2014 to the comet known as 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
One of their most retweeted moments was the touchdown.
They've even decided to mark it in different languages for fans all over the world.
Some of the chat is a bit geeky and scientific but the bits getting the most retweets are the Wall-E moments, when the crafts appear human.
The pair also have a star-studded group of fans.
The actor William Shatner, who made his name as Captain Kirk in Star Trek, has been in regular contact with the crafts.
Here is Newsbeat's favourite exchange between the two crafts.
It came just after the two detached from each other.
And being best mates, @ESA_Rosetta did just that and the image proved popular with followers.
It's been retweeted 5,700 times.
He's not the only one connected with the mission who is causing a Twitter storm.
This scientist in the team behind it has become a bit of a star for his love of rock music, tattoos and out-there shirt.
Dr Matt Taylor has had the image of the craft added to his impressive collection of body art.
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube


James Brokenshire has been appointed as the government's new Northern Ireland secretary.

He replaces Theresa Villiers who quit the government on Thursday after turning down a non-cabinet role.
Mr Brokenshire previously served under new Prime Minister Theresa May as immigration minister at the Home Office.
The Conservative MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup was in favour of a Remain vote in last month's EU referendum.
In a statement, he said it was a "great honour" to have been asked to take on the role.
He said Mrs Villiers had worked "tirelessly for the people of Northern Ireland".
Mr Brokenshire said one of his "key priorities" was to continue with the "full implementation" of the Stormont House and Fresh Start agreements to tackle paramilitarism, put the Northern Ireland Executive's finances on a secure footing and "deal with the legacy of the past".
He also said Northern Ireland's interests would need to be protected during the process of the UK leaving the EU, including in relation to the Irish border.
"I am looking forward to working closely over the coming weeks and months with the executive, the Irish government and the whole community in Northern Ireland to build a brighter, more secure future for everyone," he said.
Mr Brokenshire was MP for Hornchurch and Rainham from 2005 until the constituency was abolished in 2010.
Before entering parliament he was a partner at an international law firm.
From May 2011 to May 2015, he served as security minister at the Home Office.
That role included supporting Mrs May, the then home secretary, with oversight of the work of MI5 and the national police counter-terrorism network.
His responsibilities also included the government's counter-terrorism strategy and he was part of the prime minister's extremism taskforce.
He also led negotiations with the Jordanian government to secure the deportation of the radical cleric Abu Qatada.
Earlier on Thursday, Mrs May spoke with Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness.


Ospreys bemoaned a refereeing controversy as they had a "clear" try disallowed in their defeat at Connacht.

Fly-half Sam Davies thought he had brought Ospreys level at 27-27 but was penalised for a double-movement following a tackle by Kieran Marmion.
Following the decision by Irish television match official Jude Quinn, Connacht went on to win 30-22.
"It's a try," said Ospreys forwards coach Chris Gibbes.
"Clear and obvious. It's a try. We've come here to score four tries and through an officiating situation, we've missed that opportunity to get the fourth try.
"It's pretty clear and obvious, but that process is flawed. We're disappointed with that."
Ospreys' defeat was a blow to their hopes of reaching the Pro12's end-of-season play-offs, leaving them in seventh place and eight points behind the top four.
Connacht stretched their lead at the top of the table to six points, and Gibbes was frustrated to leave Galway without even a losing bonus point.
"It wasn't a good performance," he added.
"When there are so many missed tackles you are going to come off the wrong side against a pretty good, committed Connacht side.
"It's a tough place to come and play but the performance wasn't good enough and we are pretty disappointed about that."


Delays in introducing a new radio system for emergency services in England, Wales and Scotland may cost taxpayers £475m a year, MPs have said.

The Public Accounts Committee said the new Emergency Services Network system could require more testing beyond its scheduled start date of December 2019.
Contracts for the old network may have to be extended, costing hundreds of millions of pounds, it said.
Ministers said the technology would be the "most advanced of its kind".
Currently the 105 police, fire and ambulance services in England, Scotland and Wales communicate using the radio network Airwave - contracts for which expire in two years.
But the Public Accounts Committee said the system due as the replacement, ESN, was "not yet proven" and probably would not be ready on time.
The MPs said the Home Office had not budgeted for such a lengthy delay and that it must put detailed contingency plans in place.
It has also called on ministers to address what it says are "real security concerns" about how well ESN will work on underground systems in London, Glasgow and elsewhere.
Committee chairwoman Meg Hillier said: "It is critical for public safety and achieving value for money that the government has a firm grasp of the implications of delays in its timetable and a costed plan to tackle them.
"We will expect it to demonstrate real progress in this area when it reports back to us later this year."
A Home Office spokesman said ESN was the most advanced communications system of its kind and would deliver "significant savings for the taxpayer".
He added: "The timescales are ambitious because we want to get the most from technology that will help save lives, but we are clear that no risks will be taken with public safety and the existing Airwave system will continue until transition on to ESN is completed."


Lego enjoyed an 11% increase in sales in the first half of this year compared with the same period in 2015.

The Danish toy company, best known for its building bricks, had a turnover of 15.7bn Danish kroner (Â£1.8bn).
However, net profit fell slightly to 3.5bn DKK (Â£393m) from 3.6bn DKK in the first half of 2015.
Sales growth at the privately owned firm was strong in Europe and Asia, with double digit increases in both regions, but flat in the Americas.
Lego continued its global investment programme in the first six months of 2016, with a new factory in Jiaxing, China starting to make parts and another in Monterrey, Mexico being expanded.
The firm has added more than 3,500 new employees in the first half of 2016, compared with 12 months previously, to bring the total workforce to 18,500 people globally.
Lego group chief executive Jorgen Vig Knudstorp said: "Maintaining double-digit growth year on year through more than a decade is a testament to the never-ending possibilities that children find in Lego play and the result of the hard work of more than 18,000 Lego colleagues around the world."


Armed officers are to be issued with head-mounted cameras in a effort to provide "greater transparency" in police shootings, the Met Police says.

The Met - the UK's largest police force - said officers in its armed response units will have cameras fitted to baseball caps and ballistic helmets.
It will give "a documented and accurate account" of situations, the Met added.
Armed officers had trialled body-mounted cameras, but in 2015 they were criticised as "unfit-for-purpose".
Their introduction followed criticisms of the Met over the death of Mark Duggan, who was shot by armed officers in August 2011, sparking riots across England.
However, the force said it was still examining how cameras could be used in such undercover operations.
The new cameras will be worn by officers who carry an "overt" firearm.
The police watchdog, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), said during the trial the positioning of the cameras on officers' bodies had obscured and impacted on the the quality of some footage.
The Met says it has decided that because of the way armed police operate, head cameras are a better option.
The firearms command will receive around 1,000 cameras, the force added, saying it was part of "the largest rollout of body worn cameras by police in the world".
Commander Matt Twist said armed officers "very much welcome" the cameras.
"It provides a documented and accurate account of the threats officers face and the split second decisions they make," he said.
"The cameras also offer greater transparency for those in front of the camera as well as those behind it."
Body-mounted cameras have already been issued to frontline officers in 30 of the 32 London boroughs, as well as to officers from the roads and transport units, the territorial support group and the dog unit.
The deployment of 22,000 cameras, which do not permanently record, is anticipated to be complete by the end of October, the force added.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said cameras were "a huge step forward in bringing our capital's police force into the 21st century and building trust and confidence in the city's policing".


The Chilean government has rejected what would have been the biggest energy project in the country's history.

The HidroAysen project would have seen five huge dams built on two rivers in a beautiful part of Patagonia.
"This project has many aspects that were poorly thought out," said Energy Minister Maximo Pacheco.
Environmentalists celebrated the decision, saying the project would have had a devastating impact on the area's ecosystem.
"These giant dams would have put at risk the wilderness, traditional culture, and local tourism economy of this remarkable region," said Amanda Maxwell, Latin America project director at the Natural Resources' Defence Council.
Thousands of people had protested against the HidroAysen project.
Environment Minister Pablo Badenier said HidroAysen had made insufficient provision for those who would have been displaced, and the quantification of damage to the environment and wildlife were inadequate.
The companies behind the proposal, Spain's Endesa and Chile's Colbun, can appeal against the decision before an environmental court.
"Without HidroAysen, the country is starting to turn its back on hydroelectricity - the only real remedy to the continuing dependence on fossil fuels," said Daniel Fernandez, the CEO of HidroAysen.
He described the move as a lost opportunity for Aysen, one of the most remote and under-developed areas of the country.


Lewis Hamilton fought his way up from 20th on the grid to finish third as his team-mate and title rival Nico Rosberg won the German Grand Prix.

The Briton staged a superb recovery drive despite damaging his front wing in a collision at around half-distance when passing Jenson Button's McLaren.
He caught Williams' Valtteri Bottas in the final laps but could not pass.
Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel beat Ferrari's Fernando Alonso for fourth with team-mate Daniel Ricciardo sixth.
Rosberg's victory on home soil leaves him 14 points clear of fellow Mercedes driver Hamilton at the head of the championship with nine races remaining.
"I had great fun," said Hamilton. "I did as good as I could today. It was very hard to get through the field safely.
"I had a little collision with Jenson. I really thought he was opening the door for me; he has been very good like that in recent races. So my bad on judgement there."
The race in Hockenheim began with high drama as Williams' Felipe Massa and McLaren's Kevin Magnussen collided at the first corner, tipping the Brazilian's car upside down.
The Williams skated into the run-off area, triggering the safety car while officials confirmed Massa was unhurt.
After qualifying 20th on the grid following a 130mph qualifying crash on Saturday and a five-place penalty for a gearbox change, Hamilton quickly made up places.
He had advanced to 10th before the cars in front, which had started on the 'super-soft' tyre rather than the Briton's 'soft' tyre, began their pit stops around lap 12. Hamilton, who ran until lap 26 before making his first stop, took advantage to advance to second behind Rosberg - the German making his first stop on lap 16.
With Hamilton's team assuring him he remained on course to finish second after his stop, that target suddenly became more difficult when he dived late down the inside of Button for sixth place on lap 30.
Hamilton's former team-mate saw him coming and left room but turned in when he thought the Mercedes was too far back. The two cars collided mid-corner, taking off most of the Mercedes' front-wing endplate. Hamilton waved his apologies when he passed the McLaren on the following lap.
Having initially planned to keep Hamilton on a two-stop strategy, Mercedes switched to an extra stop once he reported that his tyres were wearing too quickly, opting for two short sprints at the end of the race on the fast-but-fragile super-soft.
His second stop came on lap 32 and his final one seven laps later - triggered by Adrian Sutil spinning his Sauber out of the last corner and being left stranded in the middle of the track for several laps.
Hamilton emerged fourth behind Rosberg, Bottas and Alonso, passed the Spaniard easily, and was 15 seconds behind Bottas with as many laps to go.
With five laps remaining he was on the Finn's tail and seemed sure to regain second, but with his super-soft tyres past their best, Hamilton could not get close enough out of Turn Two to pass into the Turn Five hairpin.
"[Rosberg and Hamilton] were too quick today but I'm really happy we managed to keep at least one of them behind us," said Bottas after a third successive podium.
"It was not easy - we needed all the information from the engineers."
Alonso battled with Vettel for much of the race before a stop that left him down in seventh. He quickly re-passed Button, but Ricciardo proved sterner opposition and the two staged an entertaining wheel-to-wheel dice before Alonso finally passed for fifth place with five laps to go.
Nico Hulkenberg's Force India followed the Australian in seventh, ahead of Button, Magnussen and Hulkenberg's team-mate Sergio Perez.
Full race results
German Grand Prix coverage details


New rules on child car seats are set to come into force after March next year and have left many parents confused about what they need to use.

Changes are being made to the weight and height at which a child will be allowed to use a backless booster seat. However, parents will not need to replace car seats they have already bought because they can continue to use them.
From next year, changes are being made on the rules regarding backless booster seats.
Currently, parents can use these types of seats for children who weigh 15kg (2st 5lbs) and above - typically aged three and over.
The new rules will mean only children weighing over 22kg (3st 7lbs) who are also over 125cm (4ft 1ins) tall can use the seats.
The United Nations, which sets the safety standards for car seats, has approved the change which must now be implemented by the EU.
The government said the earliest the new rules will come in is March 2017 and they will affect the whole of the UK.
Many child car seat experts say they are unsuitable for small children as the child is not held as securely in the seat, the adult seatbelt is not guided across their body in the best way and they offer little protection if a car is involved in a side-on crash.
Do not worry. The changes will only apply to new backless seats and not ones already on the market that meet current safety standards.
Parents can continue to use their current model after the rule change and will not need to buy a new one.
It will be down to manufacturers of new seats to ensure they meet the revised safety standards and are labelled correctly.
Children must use a child car seat until they are 12 years old or 135cm (4ft 5in) tall, whichever comes first.
There are typically three types of children's car seats:
Only EU-approved child car seats can be used in the UK - which have a label showing a capital "E" in a circle.
Parents should typically choose a car seat based on their child's height or weight.
A driver can be fined up to Â£500 if a child under 14 does not wear a seat belt or child restraint. Anyone 14 and over not wearing a seat belt must pay the fine themselves.
There are exceptions. For example, children can travel without a child car seat in a taxi or minicab if they travel on a rear seat and wear an adult seat belt if they are aged three or older or without a seat belt if they are under three.
Many parents think they can judge which car seat they need to buy based on their child's age but it should only be used as guidance.
Car seats are typically categorised according to height and weight.
Height-based car seats, known as "i-Size" seats, must be rear-facing until the child is over 15 months old.
For weight-based car seats, the type depends on how heavy a child is.
A more detailed list is available through childcarseats.org.uk


An Egyptian court has confirmed the death sentence on Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Badie and 13 others for planning attacks against the state.

The court also jailed a US-Egyptian citizen and 36 others for life.
Badie was sentenced in March and is embroiled in some 40 other trials. The sentences are subject to appeal.
Hundreds of people have been sentenced to death in a crackdown on the Brotherhood following the removal of President Mohammed Morsi in 2013.
However, so far only one death sentence has been carried out.
The court session was broadcast live on TV.
The sentences are the final phase in the trial which saw Muslim Brotherhood leaders charged with encouraging members of the group to confront the state and spread chaos following the dispersal of protests in 2013.
They were handed down following advice from Egypt's highest Islamic legal official, the grand mufti.
Two of the defendants were sentenced to death in absentia.
Two of the defendants were sentenced to death in absentia.
Badie was already sentenced to death in a case last year related to attacks on police stations in the southern province of Minya. But the ruling was later overturned and a retrial was ordered.
US-Egyptian citizen Mohamed Soltan was sentenced to life imprisonment for supporting the Brotherhood and transmitting false news.
The son of Brotherhood preacher Salah Soltan, he has been on hunger strike for months and has received attention from local and international human rights organisations.
Critics describe the trials against Brotherhood members as politicised, but the government insists on the transparency and independence of the judiciary.
The August 2013 dispersal of the Rabaa al-Adawiya protest camps in Cairo led to the deaths of more than 600 protesters and several police and provoked international condemnation.
Many more died in subsequent demonstrations across the country.


Chilean political leaders have added their voices to widespread condemnation of a savage attack on a young gay man that left him with multiple injuries.

Daniel Zamudio, 24, has been in a medically induced coma since Saturday's attack by unidentified assailants.
He had swastika-like shapes drawn on his chest, fuelling speculation that neo-Nazis were involved.
Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter said efforts would be stepped up to pass an anti-discrimination law.
"We're going to give added urgency to the anti-discrimination law," said Mr Hinzpeter, referring to legislation currently being considered by the Chilean congress.
Chile should also consider passing a hate-crime law, he said.
Mr Zamudio was left with severe head injuries and a broken right leg after being attacked in Santiago.
He is on a ventilator and in an induced coma, but doctors say he is out of immediate danger.
Mr Zamudio's parents said it was not the first time he had been targeted because of his sexual orientation, and that his attackers were neo-Nazis.
A group representing gay rights in Chile, Movilh, has launched a publicity campaign to appeal for witnesses.
"It wasn't a one-off event, violence by neo-Nazi groups keeps happening," Rolando Jimenez from Movilh told BBC Mundo.
Prosecutors say they do not have firm evidence of neo-Nazi involvement but it is a possibility given the victim's profile, previous incidents, and the suspected swastika marks.


Bosses at an A&E unit "overwhelmed" with patients on New Year's Eve have warned people only to attend with "life-threatening" conditions.

A spokeswoman for Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport said: "The situation is almost intolerable and that is still the case today."
The unit was full by 18:30 GMT on Saturday.
The hospital had seen 173 people by that time, more than they would usually expect on New Year's Eve.
The spokeswoman added: "As we were getting towards midnight the cases were still very high, they all needed to be admitted."
An earlier statement said the hospital had been "completely overwhelmed" and asked people only to attend in an "absolute emergency".


A British Greenpeace worker held by Russian authorities has texted her parents to say she is "safe".

Alex Harris, 27, is one of 30 crew who have been detained by the Russians onboard the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise since Thursday.
The campaigners were detained after two activists tried to climb on to a Russian oil rig in a protest against Arctic drilling.
Russian authorities are considering charges of piracy against the crew.
Russia's Investigative Committee said it would question the activists about the demonstration at the Prirazlomnaya oil platform.
It said "all persons involved in the assault on the platform will be brought to justice".
Six Britons are among the crew, including communications worker Miss Harris, who was brought up in Winkleigh, Devon, and now lives in Australia, and engineer Iain Rogers, 37, from Exeter.
Their ship, the Arctic Sunrise, was seized in the Pechora Sea near the rig and is being towed to the port of Murmansk.
It was raided by armed Russian security forces in balaclavas who abseiled down from helicopters.
Miss Harris's parents Linda and Cliff received a text from their daughter saying: "Hi it's Alex. Guess you have seen the news. Just want to let you know I am safe.
"Will call when I can. Individuals have not been charged. Just the ship.
"Please don't worry X."
Agricultural scientist Mr Harris, 63, said he and his wife were "relieved" after getting the text and another later saying: "All is good - now just a waiting game."
He said: "We are a lot happier now and we're fairly positive about the outcome, although we don't know for sure what is going to happen."
Greenpeace, which said the crew had only been allowed to contact relatives, has rejected accusations of piracy.
Executive Director Kumi Naidoo said: "Peaceful activism is crucial when governments around the world have failed to respond to dire scientific warnings about the consequences of climate change in the Arctic and elsewhere.
"Any charge of piracy against peaceful activists has no merit in international law. We will not be intimidated or silenced by these absurd accusations and demand the immediate release of our activists."
In a statement on Tuesday, Greenpeace said its ship had arrived in a fjord near Murmansk accompanied by a tug boat and the Russian Coast Guard vessel Ladoga.
The campaigners on the ship are from 18 countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, New Zealand, Russia, the UK and the US, Greenpeace said.
Article 227 of Russia's penal code defines piracy as "an attack on a ship at sea or on a river, with the aim of seizing someone else's property, using violence or the threat of violence".
It can be punished with a jail term of up to 15 years, depending on the gravity of the offence, and a fine of up to 500,000 roubles (Â£10,000; $15,000).


A crew member working on a biopic about musician Gregg Allman has died after being hit by a train during filming.

Police in south Georgia said the woman, whose identity has not been released, was struck after the crew for Midnight Rider placed a bed on the railway tracks in Doctortown.
Wayne County Sheriff John Carter said several other people had been injured, two of them seriously.
The crew were testing cameras for a dream sequence, according to The Wrap.
Midnight Rider, which is directed by Randall Miller, stars Tyson Ritter and William Hurt as younger and older versions of the Allman Brothers Band frontman, Gregg.
None of the cast are believed to have been among the 20 people on set at the time of the accident, as filming was not officially scheduled to begin until Monday. However, Miller is understood to have been present.
An eyewitness told Variety that, although the crew were expecting two local trains, a third had arrived unexpectedly. A warning whistle was blown, but they had less than a minute to react.
As the crew rushed off the tracks, Miller and a photographer scrambled to remove the bed. Miller fell and had to be pulled to safety, according to the witness.
They said the train then hit the bed which "exploded". The debris struck and killed a second camera assistant.
Rail company CSX said it was "cooperating fully with authorities as they investigate."
"Initial reports indicate that at least three people were injured, one fatally," said a statement.
"CSX personnel are working with first responders to meet the needs of those injured. A train was en route from Memphis to Savannah when the incident occurred."


A fisherman who was seen falling into the River Tawe in Swansea has still not been found, police have said.

The incident happened shortly after midnight on Saturday at Tawe lock gates at the city's marina.
South Wales Police said they would review the situation on Sunday to decide whether to resume searching.
A rescue team from Mumbles coastguard and a helicopter from RAF St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan, have been involved in water and land searches with police.


The minimum sentence given to a man who murdered an office worker will not be changed, the Court of Appeal has ruled.

Christopher Halliwell, 48, was jailed in October for life with a minimum tariff of 25 years for the murder of Sian O'Callaghan, 22, from Swindon.
She was abducted by the taxi driver outside a nightclub in the town and murdered in Savernake Forest.
Attorney General Dominic Grieve had asked the Court of Appeal to rule on whether his sentence was long enough.
Lord Justice Pitchford, announcing the ruling of the three Appeal Court judges, said the judge at Halliwell's trial had been "entitled" to reach the decision she had when setting the minimum term.
He was jailed at Bristol Crown Court on 19 October after admitting Miss O'Callaghan's murder.
Her body was found near the Uffington White Horse in Oxfordshire.
Following the taxi driver's arrest, he also led detectives to the body of Becky Godden in Gloucestershire.
But Halliwell was not prosecuted over that death after a judge ruled detectives had ignored arrest guidelines.
Halliwell was not taken to a police station to be read his rights by Det Supt Steve Fulcher.


France's finance minister has offered assistance to one of three French men who have gone on trial in Luxembourg over the leak of documents revealing corporate tax deals.

Michel Sapin told parliament that Antoine Deltour was "defending the general interest".
Mr Deltour is accused of passing information to a journalist.
The LuxLeaks scandal cast light on how Luxembourg helped giant companies slash their global tax bills.
Mr Deltour and his co-defendants could face up to 10 years in jail.
The government and companies named say their tax practices are not illegal.
It was the biggest leak of its kind until the Panama Papers this year showed how the rich and powerful use tax havens to hide their wealth.
Q&A: Panama Papers
How assets are hidden and taxes dodged
Mr Deltour, a former auditor at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), is accused of passing information on clients to French journalist Edouard Perrin, who first broke the story on French TV in 2012, in collaboration with the BBC's Panorama.
He faces charges of theft, revealing business secrets, violation of professional secrets and money laundering.
Raphael Halet, another former PwC employee, is suspected of a separate leak and faces the same charges. Mr Perrin is accused of being an accomplice.
Prosecutors say that together the data was later used by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists in their November 2014 story. The tax breaks involved 340 companies.
As he arrived for the first day of his trial, Mr Deltour told AFP news agency he was "very calm, I acted in the public interest". Supporters gathered outside the courtroom chanted "thank you Antoine, thank you Antoine!"
Addressing the French parliament, Mr Sapin said he had asked the French ambassador to Luxembourg to "assist [Mr Deltour] at this difficult time when he defends the general interest".
It was thanks to Mr Deltour, he added, that an end was being brought to the opaque system that prevented European countries finding out the tax deals made by large companies in Luxembourg. "In turn I would like to offer him all our solidarity," he said.
Mr Sapin has tabled a bill, due to be debated in June, which he says will promote economic transparency as well as protect the anonymity of whistleblowers.
While Luxembourg has laws protecting whistleblowers, they are confined to exposing illegal practices. Civil rights groups have attacked the case.
"Deltour should be protected and commended, not prosecuted," said Cobus de Swardt, the Managing Director of Transparency International.
Nearly 130,000 people have signed an online petition in support of Mr Deltour.
The scandal put pressure on European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who led Luxembourg when many of the tax breaks were implemented.
He has denied wrongdoing and has backed new EU rules to make corporate taxation more transparent.


Divorces can be messy and can make it very difficult to make new relationships.

17 March 2017 Last updated at 15:12 GMT
So how can a messy Brexit breakup be avoided?
Adam Fleming went to the former Czechoslovakia for Politics Europe to look at what can be learned from the "velvet divorce".


With the date now set for the EU referendum, the remain campaign hasn't wasted time outlining its case to people in the East of England.

In the course of a few days there have been high profile interventions from the Prime Minister, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, a universities minister and a representative from the European Commission. In special visits to the region they outlined in detail why they believed we were better off in than out.
The Prime Minister spent almost an hour addressing students at University Campus, Suffolk.
He admitted that we pay far more to Brussels from the East than we get back in grants, but he believed being a member of the EU was worth it.
"In return we get money for British universities," he said.
"Cambridge for instance gets 17% of its research grant from the EU. We get money back for our farmers and for regional aid and infrastructure projects.
"For every pound paid in taxes one penny goes to the EU. I would argue that given we get the trade and the cooperation, this is worth the membership fee."
David Cameron used a local example to illustrate one of the uncertainties of leaving: "Vivaro vans in Luton are a great product," he said.
"We know at the moment they are exported all over Europe with no tariffs, no quotas, no taxes. Can you guarantee that those goods will be able to go to Europe without paying a tariff?"
The importance of the EU to Cambridge was reinforced when Universities Minister Jo Johnson visited Cambridge and brought with him the European commissioner responsible for research, science and innovation, Carlos Moedas.
"We want to ensure we sustain the momentum behind the Cambridge phenomenon and our national status as a global science superpower," Mr Johnson told his audience at Cambridge University, adding that the UK was one of the largest beneficiaries of EU science programmes.
"To thrive in the information economy we need to be open to the world, we need to be innovative and we need to be building academic partnerships with our close neighbours, not turning our backs on them," he said.
Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron, in his first visit to the region since taking over the leadership, visited Bedford. He spoke about the local economy benefiting from being a member of "one of the biggest markets on this planet".
In such a diverse town, he focussed on the benefits of EU migration and claimed that if anyone's migrants were a drain on local services it was Brits who live abroad.
"The simple fact is that there are two million EU citizens in the UK and around two million UK citizens living in the EU," he said.
"For what it's worth, the majority of these people who are here from the European Union are working and paying tax and those who are British and living overseas tend not to be economically active, so Britain is clearly a net gainer from that situation.
"The reality is, if you are a European migrant to this country you are several times more likely to be not claiming benefit than if you're a British person - so rather than putting a strain on services, they provide the government with the funds to be able to create more of them."
The leave campaign has dismissed all these claims as scaremongering.
They believe that if we left the EU, European countries would not want to impose trade barriers or tariffs on our goods because they sell more to us than we sell to them and they would fear similar trade restrictions. They also believe that our expertise in science and research would still be sought after if we were outside the EU.
When it comes to migration, the leave campaign accepts that EU nationals can be good for the economy, but it worries about the pressures which uncontrolled immigration is putting on places like Peterborough and Wisbech.
It says if we leave the EU we will be able to control how many people come here to live and work - something which we can't do at the moment due to the EU's policy of allowing free movement of workers.
The leave campaign in the East is expected to make its case more forcibly over the next week or so but the opening salvos have made it clear what the main issues will be for the region in this referendum.


Social workers who allowed a mother to keep the 21-month-old daughter she later murdered should be the subject of a public inquiry, an MP has said.

Kathryn Smith, 23, was convicted of murder and cruelty to a child over the death of Ayeeshia Jane Smith at her flat in Burton upon Trent in 2014.
Derbyshire Safeguarding Children Board will review the case. Ayeeshia was known to social services all her life.
But Burton MP Andrew Griffiths said an independent inquiry was needed.
Killer mum and partner 'in it together'
Comparing the case to that of Victoria Climbie and the death of Baby Peter, he said it was too serious to be looked at by local social services.
"Such a shocking and brutal death that raises so many questions about how social workers operate should not be placed in the hands of the local authority to investigate itself," he said.
"This child was known to social services from the very moment she was born, and throughout her life social workers were aware of the real danger that she was in.
"It's remarkable and deeply concerning that, given there appears to be such obvious signs of risk to her life, that social workers didn't intervene earlier and didn't take steps to take her from her mother."
Mr Griffiths, who will call for an independent inquiry in Parliament, said an independent inquiry would examine "missed opportunities" to save Ayeeshia.
In June 2013, Ayeeshia had been placed with a foster family but sent back to live with her mother in October.
By this time Smith had begun a relationship with Matthew Rigby, who was cleared of murder but convicted of causing or allowing the girl's death.
Ayeeshia died from a laceration to the heart on 1 May 2014.
A trial at Birmingham Crown Court heard she had 16 separate injuries on her body, including a historical bleed on her brain.
Andrew Stokes, interim chairman of Derbyshire Safeguarding Children Board, has confirmed it will carry out a review of how it monitored and responded to concerns over Ayeeshia.


A newlywed who fatally shot his wife and a child before turning the gun on himself at a US school had projected a blissful marriage on social media.

Cedric Anderson entered a primary school on Monday in San Bernardino, California, and gunned down estranged spouse Karen Elaine Smith, 53.
On Facebook, he referred to the special needs teacher as "my wonderful little wife", "sexy" and a "pure spirit".
But some online posts by Anderson, also 53, hinted at a darker side.
The couple, who had reportedly been in a relationship for years, wed in January, but were separated within a few weeks.
Anderson initially seemed to be a smitten husband, rhapsodising about his bride and proclaiming himself "blessed".
"She has no guile or pretense," he wrote in one post of Ms Smith. "She has no ill will toward anyone. (It amazes me!).
"I praise God for such a wonderful Lady!"
But in February Anderson exposed a violent streak as he boasted on Facebook of having "almost personally attacked 3 Coaches to get my son Jared a scholarship".
"A father is like a lion. He will kill you for his Blood!" he wrote.
On 12 March, he shared a New York Post video of a man kicking an elderly woman in the face on a bus, entitled: "Can you hear me now?"
Anderson wrote along with the video: "Deranged? Yea!"
Ms Smith's mother, Irma Sykes, told ABC News: "We thought he was a fine person. Until they were married and then he showed the other side of him.
"Which we had never seen before. We were shocked. He began to pick on my daughter and talk down to her.
"And they had dated for four years. And after about three weeks, my husband and I decided, you need to get away from him.
"He is not the kind of person you thought he was."
In 2013 Anderson was charged with assault and battery, brandishing a weapon and disturbing the peace, but the charges were dismissed a year later.
In 1993, he was charged with two misdemeanour counts of battery in Kern Superior Court, the Los Angeles Times reported.
However, court records show both charges were dismissed six months later.
Somehow, the man who posted a selfie on Facebook a month ago celebrating "date night!!!" with his new wife was able to walk into the classroom on Monday morning where she was teaching and gun her down in cold blood with a Smith and Wesson .357 revolver.
Without saying a word, he discharged 10 shots and stopped to reload, police said.
Two children in the North Park Elementary School special needs class of 15 students were injured in the crossfire, authorities said.
Jonathan Martinez, eight, died and a nine-year-old was in hospital in a stable condition.


For hundreds of years, people have been fascinated by Loch Ness and the mythical monster thought to live beneath its surface.

22 January 2016 Last updated at 07:22 GMT
More than a thousand people claim to have seen 'Nessie' the monster, but there has never been real evidence that she exists.
Now the hunt for Nessie might have just grown. Keith Stewart, a retired fisherman, claims to have found a deep crevice, large enough for the monster to hide in, which was never known about before.
Until now, the loch was thought to be 229.8 metres deep, but Keith used special sonar equipment and found that the crevice goes much deeper - to 270.9 metres.
According to him that's plenty of room for a monster to hang out...


Three people were injured after an envelope containing a "substance" was delivered to a business in London's Borough Market.

Police, paramedics and firefighters were all called after the package was discovered at Feng Sushi in Stoney Street at about 13:40 BST.
The building was evacuated as a precaution but Scotland Yard said it was not treating the incident as terror-related.
No arrests have been made.
The three people all suffered minor injuries "as a result of an irritant" and were treated at the scene by London Ambulance Service.
Police said the substance had been identified as "naturally occurring".
Local businessman Paul Dawson said he had been told by a community warden that "a white powder had been received" by the business.
He added the restaurant manager had said to him he had to close his shop because "something quite bad had happened".
The property was one of the locations targeted in the terror attack in June.


Scientists say they have found a gene that causes a rare but inherited form of multiple sclerosis.

It affects about one in every thousand MS patients and, according to the Canadian researchers, is proof that the disease is passed down generations.
Experts have long suspected there's a genetic element to MS, but had thought there would be lots of genes involved, as well as environmental factors.
The finding offers hope of targeted screening and therapy, Neuron reports.
The University of British Columbia studied the DNA of hundreds of families affected by MS to hunt for a culprit gene.
They found it in two sets of families containing several members with a rapidly progressive type of MS.
In these families, 70% of the people with the mutation developed the disease.
Although other factors may still be important and necessary to trigger the disease process, the gene itself is a substantial causative risk factor that is passed down from parents to their children, say the researchers.
The mutation is in a gene called NR1H3, which makes a protein that acts as a switch controlling inflammation.
In MS the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the protective layer of myelin that surrounds nerve fibres in the brain and spinal cord, leading to muscle weakness and other symptoms.
Studies in mice show that knocking out the function of the same gene leads to neurological problems and decreased myelin production.
The researchers believe stopping the inflammation early might prevent or delay the disease. They already have drugs in mind that might do this by targeting the NR1H3 gene pathway.
These drugs are in development for other diseases, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Researcher Dr Carles Vilarino-Guell said: "These are still early days and there is a lot to test, but if we are able to repurpose some of these experimental drugs, it could shorten the time it takes to develop targeted MS treatments."
He said the same treatments might help other patients with progressive MS - even if they don't have exactly the same gene mutation.
Dr Sorrel Bickley from the MS Society said understanding how genes influence a person's risk of developing MS is a really important area of research.
"Whilst the gene variant identified was associated with rapidly progressing forms of MS in the two families studied, the variant itself is rare and most people with MS won't have it. This research does however give us an insight into how progressive forms of MS develop, which could help to inform the development of new treatments in the future."


President Barack Obama, who is on a visit to Argentina, has promised to release secret files concerning the US role in the military coup there 40 years ago that installed one of the region's most brutal regimes.

He was speaking after talks with Argentine President Mauricio Macri.
Mr Obama said US military and intelligence files from the era would be declassified for the first time.
He arrived in Argentina after a historic three-day visit to Cuba.
President Macri said the visit marked the beginning of "new mature and intelligent relations" between the two countries.
US-Argentina relations were less close during the previous left-wing governments of Mr Macri's predecessors, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and Nestor Kirchner.
Mr Obama praised the reforms implemented by Mr Macri's centre-right government since he came to power in December.
"President Macri is a man in a hurry. I'm impressed because he has moved rapidly on some many reforms to reconnect Argentina with the world community," he said.
Mr Obama said that by offering a more stable financial scenario to foreign investors, Mr Macri would attract billions of dollars of investment from US businesses.
"Argentina needs to be a critical partner with us. It is one of the biggest, most important countries in the region."
Earlier this month, Argentina signed an agreement with US hedge funds to settle a 15-year dispute over its failure to repay billions of dollars worth of bonds.
Ms Fernandez had refused to negotiate with the investors, labelling them "vulture funds".
Mr Obama expressed hope that his gesture to release secret files of the 1970s would help mend relations between the two countries.
"We are absolutely determined to do our part as Argentina continues to heal and move forward as one nation, and I hope this gesture also helps to rebuild trust that may have been lost between our two countries," he said.
His presence in the country coincides with the 40th anniversary on Thursday of the military coup, which Mr Macri describe as "the darkest chapter in our history".
Some groups are planning protests because of the support American governments gave to the military coup of 24 March 1976.
Some 30,000 people are estimated to have been killed during the military period, which lasted until 1983.
Thousands of other people were illegally detained and tortured in what became known as the "Dirty War".
General Jorge Rafael Videla, who led the coup, died in jail in 2013, serving a sentence for human rights violations.
Mr Obama said US foreign policy had learned from the mistakes of the past, including its involvement in the Argentina coup.
"I will visit a memorial to the victims of the Argentine dictatorship," he said.
President Macri and President Obama also announced a partnership to tackle drug trafficking and money laundering.
And both leaders expressed concerns about the political crisis in Brazil, Argentina's biggest neighbour and commercial partner.
"We hope Brazil solves its political crisis. Their democracy is sufficiently mature.
"We need a strong and effective Brazil for our own economies and world peace," said Mr Obama.
Mr Macri said that the Brazilian crisis had a potential impact on the Argentine economy.
But he expressed his confidence that "Brazil will come out of this crisis strengthened".