UK tabloid The Sun has labelled Taoiseach Leo Varadkar as a "Brexit Buffoon".
In a 'The Sun Says' opinion piece published today Varadkar is told to 'shut his gob on Brexit and grow up'.
The UK tabloid published the comment piece in response to Varadkar's announcement that he would block the progress of Brexit over the border issue.
The editorial, pointing to his age, slams 38-year-old Varadkar as 'naive' and claims the Taoiseach is disrespecting 17.4 million UK voters.
"Leo Varadkar may not like Brexit. So what? He needs to accept it’s happening," the paper said.
"Yet Varadkar’s rookie diplomacy, puerile insults and threats to veto trade negotiations are bringing it ever closer," it said.
The Sun described Varadkar as an obstinant man "increasingly out of his depth".
"We can only assume his arrogance stems from a delusion that he can single-handedly stop Brexit."
Labour Party Leader Brendan Howlin has described the editorial as ‘ignorant, bullying and ageist’.
He said the "jingoistic" piece is "deliberately offensive and will contribute nothing to resolving the issues our countries face".
"It reverts to the bad old days when the UK thought it could tell Ireland what to do, a view no longer held by the vast majority of the British people," he said.
"This is an example of what those who support the European Union have been facing in the UK for decades.
"The Taoiseach is representing the interests of Irish citizens and indeed many UK citizens living in Northern Ireland. He is not just entitled to do so, he is obliged to do so.
"And while he continues to do so he will have the support of all the Irish people."