EU's Jean-Claude Juncker rebuffs UK's plan to change Brexit deal | DW |

The president of the European Commission said the United Kingdom had increased the risk of a no-deal Brexit. He dismissed any fresh talks over the controversial Irish backstop in the draft EU-UK Brexit deal.

🇪🇺🇬🇧 President @JunckerEU and #Brexit Chief Negotiator @MichelBarnier on the UK's withdrawal from the EU at #EPlenary ↓ (_link)

— European Commission 🇪🇺 (@EU_Commission) January 30, 2019

Barnier weighs in

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, then addressed the parliament, telling lawmakers that the Irish backstop was part and parcel of the withdrawal agreement and would not be re-negotiated.

"We need this backstop as it is," Barnier said.

Speaking later on French radio, Barnier remarked: "We ourselves talked of so-called alternative arrangements which could prevent the return of a hard border. Only, no one, on either side, was able to say what arrangement would be needed to ensure controls on goods, animals and merchandise, without having a border."  

MEPs urge UK to break current deadlock. Press release (_link) pic.twitter.com/1ltG2Nm7CB

— European Parliament (@Europarl_EN) January 30, 2019