MPs must not be "railroaded" into voting for a bad or blind Brexit deal, the First Minister has said.

Nicola Sturgeon unveiled a new Scottish Government paper detailing a "common sense" alternative to the UK Government's Brexit plan.

It reiterated the position of Scottish ministers that short of staying in the EU, Britain should at the very least retain membership of the European single market and customs union.

Sturgeon laid out her government's stance during a keynote speech at the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) in London on Monday.

Her remarks come as Brexit negotiations in Brussels have run into a "significant problem" over the issue of the Irish border, according to UK Government sources.

Hopes had been raised of a breakthrough on Sunday following an unscheduled meeting between UK Brexit secretary Dominic Raab and the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier.

But the renewed impasse between both sides threatens to overshadow this week's crunch summit where it was hoped a final withdrawal deal might be reached.

The First Minister is calling on MPs not to back a lacklustre deal if that is what Theresa May puts before the Commons.

She said: "The UK Government has spent two years asserting that no deal is better than a bad deal.

"However, they will almost certainly try to railroad MPs into accepting a bad or blindfold deal on the grounds that no deal would be a catastrophe.

"They are threatening us with fire, to make us choose the frying pan.

"But MPs do not have to fall for that false choice and I would argue that no self-respecting Parliament would fall for that false choice.

"The fact is that other options are available. The single market and customs union option that I have consistently argued for and will set out again today is one such option."

Sturgeon continued: "A so-called People's Vote which I've said SNP MPs would support although it wouldn't necessarily protect Scotland from the same outcome as in 2016 is another such option.

"These alternative options may of course require more time and therefore may well necessitate a request to extend Article 50.

"But that surely must be preferable to pressing ahead in a reckless and damaging manner."

She added: "Voting against a bad or blindfold deal isn't a vote for no deal - it would be a vote for a better deal.

"Indeed, voting against a bad or blindfold deal Brexit when the opportunity arises, if it does later this year, is the only chance the House of Commons will have to reset the negotiations and think again before it is too late."

She described Theresa May's Chequers plan as bad for all sides involved, adding that EU leaders' recent rejection of its key planks at a meeting at Salzburg should not have come as a surprise.

"A head in the sand approach will not make the Chequers ostrich fly," she said.

Sturgeon added: "Alarmingly, it does seem increasingly doubtful that any deal can be struck that will satisfy both the EU27 and those in the DUP and the Brexiteer wing of her own party that the Prime Minister is politically beholden to."

In her speech, she also launched the Scottish Government's new paper, Scotland's Place in Europe: Our Way Forward.

In the foreword to the paper, the First Minister wrote: "The Scottish Government, in line with the overwhelming vote for remain in Scotland, supports continued EU membership.

"Remaining in the EU continues to be our strong preference.

"Nevertheless in December 2016 we set out a compromise plan to keep Scotland and the UK in the European single market and customs union to limit the damage of Brexit as much as possible.

"It is therefore simply incorrect for the Prime Minister to say that there is no alternative to Chequers."

She added: "With crucial decisions coming up over the next few weeks and months at EU level - and in the House of Commons where the UK Government must seek the approval of the UK Parliament - it is vital to break the deadlock.

"For the Prime Minister and the UK Government it is time to face reality.

"For MPs at Westminster it is time to come together in a common sense coalition to minimise the Brexit damage."

A spokesman for the UK Government's Department for Exiting the European Union said: "We will have an ambitious course outside of the EU that enhances our prosperity and security and that genuinely works for everyone across the UK.

"We have put forward a precise and credible plan for our future relationship with the EU and look forward to continuing to engage with the EU Commission on our proposals."

Discussions in Brussels over the weekend reportedly broke down after EU negotiators demanded a "backstop to the backstop" to prevent the return of a "hard border" between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

Theresa May's Chequers plan for a backstop would effectively keep Northern Ireland in the single market for a transitory period while a permanent solution is found.

It has been controversial with Brexiteers in her own party, such as former foreign secretary Boris Johnson, as it would see the UK remain aligned with the EU customs union beyond the current 2020 transition deadline.

EU negotiators are insisting on a further back-up plan for a Northern Ireland-only backstop, which could lead to customs checks on goods travelling between Belfast and the rest of the UK.

The Conservatives' minority government at Westminster depends on DUP support, but the part,y led by Arlene Foster, has said it will not accept any deal with threatens Northern Ireland's place in the union.

Echoing these concerns, Scotland's two most senior Tories - Scottish secretary David Mundell and Scottish party leader Ruth Davidson - have reportedly written to the Prime Minister threatening to resign if Northern Ireland gets different arrangements to the rest of the UK.

They say any such deal would "undermine the integrity" of the UK and fuel the case for Scottish independence.

Meanwhile, the First Minister had a short meeting with the Prime Minister in the House of Commons on Monday evening to discuss the current state of the Brexit negotiations.

Afterwards a spokesman for Ms Sturgeon said: "‎The First Minister welcomed the opportunity for an update from the Prime Minister - however it remains clear that there remain fundamental issues to be resolved between the UK and the EU.

"It is the First Minister's view that membership of the single market and customs union would not only resolve those issues but also limit the economic damage that Brexit will cause."