The DUP's Sammy Wilson has accused the Irish Government of being a 'bunch of chancers', amid a fresh row over the Northern Ireland protocol.
The UK has been accused of breaking international law for the second time, over delays on checking goods entering the North from Britain.
It comes as Loyalist paramilitary organisations have told Boris Johnson they're withdrawing support for the Good Friday Agreement.
Senior Irish and EU figures have criticised the British government for their unilateral move, with Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney telling RTÉ the bloc is negotiating with a partner it simply cannot trust.
Speaking to The Pat Kenny Show, DUP MP for East Antrim Sammy Wilson claimed it's the Irish Government that has provoked some in Northern Ireland.
He said: "When it comes to trust, Simon Coveney ought to look at his own record and how people in Northern Ireland view him.
"On one hand, he talks about maintaining the peace in Northern Ireland and protecting the Good Friday Agreement... while at the same time, as David Trimble pointed out a few weeks ago, he was one of the instigators in ripping up the Good Friday Agreement.
"That is what has provoked the reaction from the loyalists in Northern Ireland.
"We've also had these weasel words from Simon Coveney and other ministers in the Republic that they want to protect the peace in Northern Ireland and look after the people... while the protocol is quite clearly damaging our economy."
He accused the Irish Government as using the economic damage as a way of 'diverting trade' away from suppliers in Great Britain.
He said: "When you're dealing with a bunch of chancers, it's difficult to have any trust.
"People in the Irish Republic can't understand the Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom, and the United Kingdom as a whole voted to break free from the shackles of Brussels."
He said the North was 'tied' to the results of the Brexit vote across the UK, and claimed the Brexit deal has left Northern Ireland 'half left in' the EU.
He said it's 'quite right' for the British government to look at the consequences of the Northern Ireland Protocol, and is only acting out of 'frustration'.
