EU rejects May’s appeals for Brexit deal re-negotiation

European Union leaders have said the Brexit withdrawal agreement is "not open for renegotiation", despite appeals from Theresa May.

She wanted legal assurances on the Irish backstop to help her deal get through Parliament after she delayed a Commons vote in anticipation of defeat.

The PM said the deal was "at risk" if MPs' concerns could not be addressed.

European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said there could be clarifications but no renegotiation.

At EU headquarters in Brussels on Thursday, the 27 leaders discussed the request from May to provide assurance that her country will not be bound by EU trade rules indefinitely.

The leaders said in a joint statement that the measure allowing Britain to remain in the trade union is temporary until the border issue is settled.

But the statement stressed that the deal is not re-negotiable. It called on member nations to prepare for all possible outcomes, indicating the possibility of Britain's withdrawal without an exit deal.

The PM's visit came at the end of a week that has seen her first delay the vote on the withdrawal agreement in Parliament, then win a vote of no confidence brought by MPs unhappy with it.

She vowed to listen to the concerns of the 37% of Tory MPs who voted against her and was hoping to "assuage" their concerns about the controversial "backstop" plan in the agreement.

Critics say the backstop - aimed at preventing a hard border in Northern Ireland - would keep the UK tied to EU rules indefinitely and curb its ability to strike trade deals.

Conservative MPs demanded changes to the backstop to make it clear that it could not last forever, and the UK could terminate the arrangement on its own.

At the summit, May was seeking legal assurances that the backstop, if used, would be temporary.