UK negotiator reports 'robust' Brexit talks in Brussels

One of Britain's Brexit negotiators said Wednesday he had held a "robust" discussion with European Union counterparts over how to get a withdrawal deal through parliament in London.

Speaking after talks with EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier in Brussels on Tuesday, Attorney General Geoffrey Cox said he had put forward some "very reasonable proposals".

"Both sides have exchanged robust strong views and we're now facing the real discussions. Talks will be resuming soon," Cox told Sky News television from Brussels.

"These are very sensitive discussions, we're in to the meat of the matter now, we've put forward some proposals, very reasonable proposals," he said. But he said he could not reveal the content of the discussions, saying they were "private and confidential".

The negotiations, which also included British Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay, ended with no official comment from either side.

Prime Minister Theresa May is desperately seeking to salvage her Brexit deal to allow Britain to leave the bloc in an orderly fashion on March 29.

After MPs roundly rejected the text on January 15, she has been seeking guarantees on how its most controversial arrangement -- the so-called Irish border backstop -- will be implemented.

The House of Commons will have another chance to vote on the deal next Tuesday. If MPs again reject it, they will vote in the following days on whether to leave with no deal or delay Brexit.