Mairead McGuinness, the European commissioner for financial stability, financial services and the Capital Markets Union, told RTÉ that the unexpected announcement is “extremely unhelpful”.

Agriculture minister Edwin Poots, who said he had ordered a stop to port checks from midnight last night following the receipt of legal advice, is a member of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) which is opposed to the Northern Ireland protocol under which the checks are taking place.

According to BBC News, checks are currently continuing to take place in spite of the announcement.

Mrs McGuinness said Mr Poots was “ignoring the hard work and tireless effort to find practical solutions” and that the European Commission was “working tirelessly to find solutions with the United Kingdom to specific problems”.

She added: “This announcement has created uncertainty and unpredictability and certainly no stability, so I’m not sure what the purpose of this move is. It’s an absolute breach of international law.”