Britain should punish the Irish Republic if it continues to use Brexit to effectively try to split up the UK, Ian Paisley Jr today said.

The DUP MP urged the UK Government to stop 'pussy footing' around and confront the Irish government over its 'disgraceful' approach.

He said if Irish PM Leo Varadkar does not change his tune and start acting like a 'good neighbour' then Britain should make a future fisheries deal 'extremely long tenuous and hard' for them.

Meanwhile David Trimble, the former First Minister of Northern Ireland who shared the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on the Good Friday Agreement, accused Mr Varadkar of trying to out Sinn Fein Sinn Fein.

The outbursts comes amid mounting tensions over how to ensure a soft Irish border is maintained after Brexit.

Mr Varadkar has threatened to veto Brexit talks moving on to trade negotiations unless more guarantees are given that there will be no return to a hard border.

DUP MP Ian Paisely Jr, pictured today in Parliament, tore into the Republic of Ireland's position on Brexit and told Government ministers to punish the country in future fisheries deal if they do not change their tune and start acting like a good neighbour

If he carries the threat through he will single-handedly scupper Theresa May's massive diplomatic effort to move the talks on to the next stage.

Mr Paisley, whose DUP party is propping the PM up in No10, tore into the Irish Republic's government for using Brexit to further the bid to break up the UK.

And he urged Brexit minister Robin Walker to 'shake the cage' of the Republic during a hearing of the Northern Ireland select committee this morning.

He said: 'Frankly I think the pussy footing needs to stop. Frankly, I think our neighbour has acted disgracefully.

DAVID TRIMBLE ACCUSES IRISH PM OF 'SNARLING' AT UK AND ENDANGERING PEACE David Trimble today tore into the Irish PM Leo Varadkar over his warning about the Irish border and Brexit (file pic) The Irish PM is endangering the peace process by calling for customs checks to be pushed back to the Irish Sea and border with the mainland, David Trimble today said. The ex First Minister of Northern Ireland, who shared the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on the Good Friday Agreement, accused Leo Varadkar of trying to out Sinn Fein Sinn Fein. He said warning Brexit will endanger the peace which has been hard won over the past 20 years is rubbish. And he accused the Irish PM of sounding alarmist warning son the Irish border and Brexit to shore up his flimsy political position back home. In an article for The Spectator, the unionist politician said the Irish PM's (Taoiseach) behavior cannot go unchallenged. He wrote: 'The reason the issue of the border has been brought up in the way it has is not because of any practical reasons but because of the internal politics of the Irish Republic. 'The Taoiseach has been in desperate negotiations with other party leaders in order to prevent a general election being triggered. 'He is snarling at London, trying to make a big issue about the border, because he is worried Sinn Fein might benefit if he does not.' He said the Irish Republic's calls for customs checks to be pushed to the Irish sea is the real threat to peace. He said: 'Once it begins to dawn on the unionist electorate that the Irish government is trying to break up the UK then we are into very dangerous territory indeed. 'The government needs to quash this idea very quickly, and make it clear that we will not have any damage done to our constitution.' He added: 'What Leo Varadkar is doing is trying to appeal to Sinn Fein voters. 'He hasn't learned the lesson that some Irish nationals have painfully learned in Northern Ireland: that you can't out Sinn Fein Sinn Fein.' Advertisement

'They are supposed to be our partner. As a nation our majesty's government since 2016 has given them billions of money interest free to bail them out of economic ruin and bankruptcy.

'Of course that money has been paid back but paid back at a very generous rate.'

He pointed out the much or Ireland's trade is done with the UK and said if the government does not adopt a radically different approach the UK should punish them in future deals.

He said: 'The Republic of Ireland relies for a major part of its trade with United Kingdom.

'Its fisheries waters becomes our fisheries waters in 2019 and as early as September 2019 they will need to make a fisheries deal, not with the rest of the EU, but with us.

And frankly if they continue to exacerbate our will as citizens of the UK, I think we should make that fisheries deal extremely long tenuous and hard for them.'

He added: 'And I think maybe that message needs to be spelt out that they need to start acting in mature way and dealing with us as good neighbour and friend rather than try to frustrate the will of the United Kingdom by saying they want a united Ireland, by saying they want this part of the sovereign territory of her majesty's kingdom, to be out with the rest of the agreement

'I think that needs to be spelt out loud and clear, and if her majesty's government is not for diplomatic reasons able to say that publicly I hope you are starting to shake their cage internally and privately in these negotiations.'

He said the Irish government's intransigence only 'exacerbates' problems rather than helping to reach a solution.

Mr Walker did not address Mr Paisley's comments directly but told the committee Britain and the Irish Republic are both committed to keeping a soft Irish border.

He said much progress has been made but Brexit talks need to move on to trade for a final agreement on the practicalities of the border to be thrashed out.

Meanwhile, Mr Trimble has also launched a scathing attack on the Irish PM - accusing him of 'snarling at Britain' to shore up his own position at home.

In an article for The Spectator, the unionist politician said the Irish PM's (Taoiseach) behavior cannot go unchallenged.

He wrote: 'The reason the issue of the border has been brought up in the way it has is not because of any practical reasons but because of the internal politics of the Irish Republic.

'The Taoiseach has been in desperate negotiations with other party leaders in order to prevent a general election being triggered.

'He is snarling at London, trying to make a big issue about the border, because he is worried Sinn Fein might benefit if he does not.'

He said the Good Friday Agreement is in no way endangered by Britain's withdrawal form the EU, but the Irish Republic's calls for customs checks to be pushed to the Irish sea would pose the real threat to peace.

Irish PM Leo Varadkar, pictured yesterday in the Dublin Parliament, has threatened to veto Brexit talks moving on to trade unless commitments on keeping a soft Irish border are put down in writing

He said: 'Once it begins to dawn on the unionist electorate that the Irish government is trying to break up the UK then we are into very dangerous territory indeed.

'The government needs to quash this idea very quickly, and make it clear that we will not have any damage done to our constitution.'

He added: 'What Leo Varadkar is doing is trying to appeal to Sinn Fein voters.

'He hasn't learned the lesson that some Irish nationals have painfully learned in Northern Ireland: that you can't out Sinn Fein Sinn Fein.

'All he is doing is validating its position. For its own reasons, the EU is egging him on.

'It just shows you how desperate the EU and Irish nationalists are that they're clutching at these straws.'

And today Mr Varadkar said he doses not think he will need to use his veto to block Brexit trade talks - because the EU will not agree to move on to them anyway.

He told the Dail Parliament in Dublin: 'The solidarity that exists for Ireland and behind our specific issues in relation to avoiding a hard border remains very strong.

'So I'm very confident that the European Council will operate by consensus.

'There will be no need to use or threaten a veto because we do and continue to have the support of our European colleagues when it comes to the issue of the border.'