Maros Sefcovic, who has been in negotiations for months with ex-Brexit minister Lord David Frost and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, targeted the prime minister just days after the Northern Ireland Protocol was passed for second reading in the House of Commons. Speaking in London, the Slovak diplomat said Ms Truss’ plan to change trade arrangements after Ulster’s Brexit “wouldn’t work”.
The protocol was drafted by Boris Johnson and Lord Frost out of concern that Brexit could create a hard border on the Emerald Isle.
The Northern Ireland Protocol has instead created customs controls between Britain and Ulster, much to the outrage of Unionists in Northern Ireland.
Britain has rejected proposals from the Brussels bloc to solve the problem, including an 80 percent reduction in certain goods and halving customs paperwork.
Mr Sefcovic accused Britain of a “my way or the highway” approach.
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He added: “We are indeed in a difficult situation, which is certainly not going to go away.
“You may not often hear this from a European Commissioner, but it is high time we got Brexit done.”
During the 2019 general election, Mr Johnson pledged to “get Brexit done”.
The Conservative Party manifesto said: “If there is a majority of Conservative MPs on December 13, I guarantee I will get our new deal through Parliament.
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In total, 295 MPs supported the bill and 221 opposition parties, giving the government a majority of 74.
According to the list of the House of Commons, 76 Tories abstained.
Ahead of the vote, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the Northern Ireland Protocol Act is the “only solution” to resolve trade issues over the Irish Sea without the EU willing to reopen negotiations.
The Foreign Secretary said: “This legislation will solve the problems caused by the protocol, ensuring that goods can flow freely within the UK, while avoiding a hard border and protecting the EU’s internal market.
“A negotiated solution was and remains our preference, but the EU continues to rule out an amendment to the protocol itself – even if it clearly causes serious problems in Northern Ireland – meaning we are obliged to act.”