THE EU’s chief Brexit negotiator has questioned whether Theresa May’s proposals for customs arrangements are workable, in his first public response to last week’s white paper.

Speaking after briefing ministers from the 27 remaining EU states in Brussels, Michel Barnier said the white paper has opened the way for “constructive discussions” on the post-Brexit relationship between the EU and the UK.

And he indicated the EU was ready to amend its “backstop” proposals for the Irish border, which have become the biggest stumbling block in talks.

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Kidderminster Shuttle:

A MOTHER who was run over as she tried to stop carjackers driving off with her four-week-old daughter has said the men risked the infant’s life for personal greed.

Clare O’Neill has now been discharged from hospital after treatment for facial injuries, and has been left with a broken tooth and severe pain in her right arm.

Her baby Eliza was found safe and well by an ambulance crew at a health centre in Small Heath, Birmingham, on Thursday – 45 minutes after two men drove off with her mother’s Audi A3.

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Kidderminster Shuttle:

THE number of tourists visiting Scotland soared to record levels in 2017, according to new figures.

Office for National Statistics (OSN) data shows a 17 per cent rise in the number of overseas visitors to 3.2 million.

During the same year, tourist spending increased by almost a quarter (23 per cent) to £2.3 billion.

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