Barnier says Johnson's Brexit demands 'unacceptable'

The European Union's chief Brexit negotiator warned member states on Thursday that Prime Minister Boris Johnson's demands to change Britain's withdrawal agreement are unacceptable.

"PM Johnson has stated that if an agreement is to be reached it goes by way of eliminating the backstop. This is of course unacceptable and not within the mandate of the European Council," Barnier wrote, in an email to EU ambassadors seen by AFP.