Number of Europe's poorest regions in UK 'more than doubles'

Eurostat figures for 2017 show seven British areas in poorest category, up from three in 2008

Britain's regions have failed to keep pace with the rest of Europe since the 2008 financial crash, according to figures that show the number of areas among the EU's poorest has more than doubled.

In 2008 the number of struggling regions, defined as areas with a GDP per head of the population worth 75% or less of the EU average, stood at three - southern Scotland, west Wales, and Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.