Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Jeremy Wright says "we'll have to wait and see" as to whether Theresa May can get her proposed Brexit deal through the House of Commons.

Image source, Getty Images

The MP for Kenilworth and Southam urges MPs to take the time to consider the deal properly and "think about what they believe to be in the best interests in the country... not just in isolation but in comparison to what the other realistic options are".

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's The World At One, he says he regrets that Dominic Raab felt the need to resign from his role as Brexit Secretary.

He said he disagreed with the suggestion that the deal risked the "integrity of the United Kingdom" and gave the EU a veto over the UK's "ability to exit".

More armed police will be on patrol as the Frankfurt Christmas market opens in Birmingham.

The event, which in recent years has attracted up to four million visitors, is one of the largest in the UK and the biggest German market outside of mainland Europe.

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson said the force was "vigilant in the face of the current terror threat" across the country.

Image source, West Midlands Police

Armed officers were being deployed, while other officers would carry Tasers, he said.

Heavy duty security barriers, first introduced in 2017 following a terror attack at a Berlin Christmas market, are also in use throughout the city centre.

Despite the precautions, Mr Jamieson said levels of crime were low at last year's event and he expected a similar situation this year.

British Transport Police said extra armed officers would be on patrol at train and tram stations, while more plain clothes officers and dogs would also be on duty.

A 16-year-old boy has been found guilty of murdering a Telford man with a cricket bat.

Stafford Crown Court had heard the teenager "crept up behind" Derek Whyteside in Telford, Shropshire, attacking him with a full swing of the bat.

Image source, Family photo

Two men, William Owens, 41, and Gareth Edward Owens, 39, both of Boulton Grange in Randlay, have each previously admitted a charge of affray in connection with the incident.

Two teenagers have been arrested after police stopped their car and found drugs, machetes and a knuckle duster.

Staffordshire Police said officers decided to pull over the white Seat Leon at 14:15 on the A34 between Stafford and Stone and the road had to be closed while they searched for a package which was thrown from the vehicle.

Image source, Staffordshire Police

Two males, aged 19 and 17, from Oldbury, were arrested on suspicion of possession of controlled drugs with intent to supply and possession of offensive weapons.

The suspects remain in police custody while enquiries continue.

Football-related arrests in England and Wales have more than halved in the past decade, according to new figures.

Press Association

Birmingham City leads the league table for the highest numbers of supporters arrested in the 2017-18 season.

Image source, Getty Images

The number of football-related arrests has halved since the start of the decade, Home Office figures show.

During the season, 95 Blues fans were arrested, followed by Sheffield United with 62 arrests and Sunderland with 60.

The three most common offence types were public disorder, violent disorder and pitch incursion.

Hereford Times

Here are some of the stories from the Hereford Times today:

• Hereford man charged with historic sexual offence, external
• Panel reviews councillors' complaints in private, external
• Kindertransport anniversary to be commemorated, external

A court has been told a wealthy Worcestershire businessman "totally lost it" during "rough sex" with his partner, leaving her to die at the bottom of the stairs.

Prosecutors allege John Broadhurst, who is 40 and from Blakeshall, murdered 26-year-old Natalie Connolly at their home and say it may have been to "teach her a lesson", saying he may have discovered she was talking to two ex-boyfriends.

Ms Connolly was found partially naked in a pool of blood with more than 40 injuries across her body, jurors at Birmingham Crown Court were told.

A post-mortem test found she had died from acute alcohol intoxication and blunt force injuries.

Mr Broadhurst denies murder and an alternative charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

The trial, which is expected to last up to five weeks, continues.

Ian Naude was named as a suspect in three cases before he joined Cheshire Constabulary.

A clinical anatomist from the University of Warwick who recognised the anatomical quirks of Michelangelo has helped confirm two sculptures as the only known surviving bronzes by the artist.

Image source, PA

A worldwide team confirmed the attribution after four years of research.

The 1m-high (3.2ft) works depict two muscular male nudes riding on panthers.

Scientists in Switzerland used neutron analysis to date the pieces to Michelangelo's era, while Prof Peter Abrahams, found they bore a number of the artist's anatomical hallmarks including toe-spacing, the eight-pack and bulging thigh and calf muscles.

Zein Al-Abdeen says officers "can't be bothered to come out" to solve crimes at his Birmingham cafe.

John Bray
BBC News

Mentor Link is a project offering one-to-one support to children struggling at school.

It is based in Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire, and with the help of BBC Children in Need offers guidance to vulnerable young people by way of a volunteer mentor.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Plans to impose a parking time limit in a Telford car park have been rejected, after objections from local residents and a hospice charity shop.

Euro Car Park and Morrisons said they had no plans to start charging, but wanted a number-plate recognition camera set up outside the supermarket in Lawley, to ensure spaces were always available to shoppers.

Image source, Google

The Severn Hospice shop said the time limit could have a "negative impact" on its fundraising efforts.

Telford and Wrekin Council also received 199 objection letters and an 860-name petition opposing the move.

Councillor Joy Francis told a meeting of the authority's planning committee “This isn’t just a supermarket car park, it’s a community car park.” and the plans were unanimously rejected.

BBC Radio Stoke Sport

Crewe boss David Artell says he hopes forward Lewis Reilly "comes back with his shooting boots on" after his loan spell at Halesowen.

The 19-year-old scored two goals on his debut for the Evo-Stik Premier side at the weekend and Artell noted he scored "an absolute bagful" on his last loan spell.

Image source, Getty Images

A prolific robber, who punched a woman waiting at a bus stop in an attempt to snatch her handbag, has been jailed for six years.

Image source, West Midlands Police

Andrew Bourke, 28, of Trafalgar Road, struck three times, just yards from his home address in Moseley, police said.

Investigating officer Det Con Craig Tennant, described Bourke as a “horrible bully” who preyed on vulnerable people he believed he could take money from.

He admitted three counts of burglary, said West Midlands Police, and was jailed at Birmingham Crown Court on 8 November.

Tiffany Calver will be the first female to host the show made famous by Westwood and Charlie Sloth.

Joshua Cook
BBC Coventry & Warwickshire

A hand-written manuscript, detailing the Coventry Blitz, has been found at a car boot sale.

In it, Arthur Higgens, from the Stivichall area, detailed a devastating bombing raid on the city in November 1940.

The family of Arthur, who died in 1994, say the discovery is like a "bolt out of the blue".

"Committed paedophile" Ian Naude was said to have joined the police for access to vulnerable girls.

Worcester News

Here are three of the top stories from the Worcester News today:

• Man arrested for attempted murder, external
• Bungling burglars caught hiding in bingo hall rafters, external
• Boy struck by firework at pub display, external

Two other children and a woman believed to be their mother are also injured in the Rugby blaze.