The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has ordered multiple investigations to be carried out after his phone number, as well as those of his former prime minister and the majority of his 20-strong cabinet, appeared in the leaked database at the heart of the Pegasus project.

The French prime minister, Jean Castex, said on Wednesday the Elysée had “ordered a series of investigations”, after vowing to “shed all light on the revelations”.

But Castex said it was too early to comment or announce any new security measures or other action without knowing “exactly what happened”. He said: “We are going to look at this very closely, given the potential seriousness.”

French politicians expressed shock after the mobile numbers of Macron, former prime minister Édouard Philippe and 14 serving ministers, including those for justice and foreign affairs, appeared in the leaked data.