(Bloomberg) --

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s push to override parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol is driven more by Conservative Party politics than a concern for the region, a senior European Union official said on Wednesday.

“I think this is about politics in the Conservative Party,” EU financial services commissioner Mairead McGuinness said in an interview on Bloomberg TV. When the referendum to leave the EU took place six years ago, “do you remember much discussion about Northern Ireland, its needs, its difficulties?”

McGuinness spoke just before Maros Sefcovic, the bloc’s chief Brexit negotiator, is due to outline the EU’s detailed response to the UK’s legislation tearing up parts of the deal governing the trade relationship with Northern Ireland. Sefcovic said Monday the bloc will consider unfreezing infringement proceedings against the UK and possibly launching new ones. She said the EU will make an “important announcement,” without elaborating.

“We are not going to ignore what’s happened because it is significant and in the wrong direction, so we have to be strong,” she said.

McGuinness lamented that the UK didn’t “even glance” at the bloc’s proposals from October, which would have significantly reduced checks on goods between the UK and Northern Ireland.

“How can we negotiate when every time there is a proposal, the UK moves away and does something that doesn’t help trust and doesn’t build relationship,” McGuinness said, adding she hopes that the UK will come back to negotiate in good faith.

Read more: Boris Johnson Heads for New Fight to Pass Brexit Law Plan

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