Ireland says Britain's divorce deal cannot be renegotiated

Ireland said it was the clear position of the European Union that Britain's draft divorce deal with the bloc was not open for renegotiation, even after its crushing defeat in the British parliament on Tuesday.

"The Irish Government recalls the clear position of the European Council at its meeting of December 13 when it stated that the withdrawal agreement is not open for renegotiation. This was restated in the joint letter from Presidents Tusk and Juncker to Prime Minister May yesterday," Dublin said in a statement.

"The Irish Government recognises, however, that a disorderly Brexit is a bad outcome for everyone, not least in Northern Ireland. It is not too late to avoid this outcome and we call on the UK to set out how it proposes to resolve this impasse as a matter of urgency." (Reporting by Padraic Halpin, Editing by William Maclean)