Germany opposes changes in Brexit backstop agreement

Germany is not willing to renegotiate a backstop solution for Northern Ireland that is laid out in the draft agreement for Britain's exit from the European Union, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told Deutschlandfunk radio on Thursday.

The text of the draft deal is not the basis for discussion, but the basis of decision-making, Maas said.

British Prime Minister Theresa May is seeking legal assurances on the most controversial part of her deal - an insurance policy known as backstop to prevent a hard border between EU member Ireland and the British province of Northern Ireland.