Britain’s agreement on leaving EU is non-negotiable, says Sweden's EU minister

Britain’s agreement on leaving the European Union is non-negotiable, Sweden’s EU minister warned on Wednesday, underlining the problems that UK Prime Minister Theresa May will face in extracting concessions from Brussels in the coming weeks. “There is no room to negotiate on the exit agreement,” Hans Dahlgren told Reuters. “The backstop is a part of the exit agreement so it is clear [renegotiating] that is not on the cards.” On Tuesday, British lawmakers demanded that May rework the exit agreement with the EU and replace the Irish backstop, which aims to prevent a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. Politicians in the Irish republic are opposed to changes, which could jeopardize the 1998 Good Friday Agreement that helped to end decades of violence in Ireland. “We are solidly behind the Republic of Ireland,” Dahlgren said.