Owen Paterson MP in Brussels talks over Brexit plan
North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson attended a crunch meeting with EU leaders in Brussels in a bid to forge an alternative Brexit route.
The MP met with the bloc's chief negotiator Michel Barnier to look at "alternative arrangements" over the Irish backstop – one of the key issues preventing many MPs from backing Theresa May's Brexit plan.
Mr Paterson, who was part of a delegation that also included DUP leader Arlene Foster and former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith, described the talks as "robust but constructive".
Mrs Foster said: "It is important that Brussels understands why unionism rejects the Withdrawal Agreement. A new barrier between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK is unacceptable.
"We want a deal which respects the referendum result and protects the Union."
It came as the Prime Minister announced that the UK's departure from the EU would be delayed until October 31.
