Brexit - as it happened: Barnier dissects May's blueprint with concerns about fraud, border checks and fair competition
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Michel Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, has delivered the EU 27's response to the Theresa May's Brexit plan.
He welcomed several elements of the proposals agreed by ministers at Chequers but raised concerns over whether they are compatible with the integrity of the EU's single market. He also cited border checks, unfair competition and potential fraud as other possible problems.
Earlier on Friday, Theresa May used a speech in Northern Ireland to call on the EU to accept the UK's Brexit proposals.
Visiting the region for the first time since taking office, the prime minister sought to reassure residents and businesses that she is committed to maintaining a soft border with the Republic of Ireland. She insisted that her government's Brexit plan "works for the whole UK, including Northern Ireland" and said it is "now for the EU to respond".
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This is from the Press Association
Conservative MP Chris Davies has been interviewed by police under caution about an allegation of fraudulent expense claims.
The Brecon and Radnorshire MP spoke voluntarily to the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) on Tuesday, after being referred by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) over a claim for pictures for his constituency office.
Mr Davies, 50, who entered Parliament in 2015 and is an unpaid parliamentary aide in the Wales Office, has previously said that he made an "honest mistake" in the way he submitted the claim but insisted he did nothing wrong.
In other news, Matt Hancock has promised a technological “transformation” of the NHS, as he proposed giving patients barcodes and ordering hospitals to do away with paper prescriptions.
The new health secretary, who took over from Jeremy Hunt last week, used his first speech to health professionals to tell them “a tech transformation is coming”.
He made a clear attempt to repair relations with NHS staff, who had an often-strained relationship with his predecessor, particularly after a dispute over junior doctors’ pay.
Mr Hancock also focused on harnessing the power of technology in his previous role as culture secretary, famously even creating his own “Matt Hancock” app for constituents.
This is a round-up of the Michel Barnier press conference from Europe Correspondent Jon Stone
Prospects for a Brexit deal have been dealt a severe blow after the European Union’s chief negotiator took apart Theresa May’s latest proposals – just hours after she ruled out further compromise on her side.
Speaking in Brussels after a meeting with EU national ministers, Michel Barnier raised a wide variety of serious concerns about the Chequers white paper plan for customs control and single market regulation for goods.
Mr Barnier said Ms May’s complicated proposal for customs would likely create huge amounts of new paperwork, warning: “Brexit cannot and will not justify additional bureaucracy.”
The chief negotiator, who said he had told member states to prepare for a no-deal scenario, also raised concerns about the PM’s plan to keep the UK following a “common rulebook” of single market regulations for goods.
The intervention emphasises the deadlock between the two sides, with Tory eurosceptics not allowing the embattled prime minister much room for manoeuvre in Westminster in order to meet Mr Barnier’s concerns.
The PM had hoped her white paper proposals would allow frictionless trade with the EU, but Mr Barnier said a plan to exclude UK services from following EU rules could give a “significant competitive advantage” to Britain and that agreeing to such a policy might not be in the EU’s own best interests.
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