Coveney said the withdrawal treaty, negotiated by the government of Prime Minister Theresa May, was a "hard-won compromise" that was fair to both the EU and Britain and would not be re-negotiated.

"The deal ... is not going to change. Particularly the legal language of the withdrawal treaty. I hope people will see it for what it is, which is a fair, balanced document," he said on entering talks of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.