The phone call with the President of the European Commission comes ahead the G7 summit in Cornwall this weekend. The Prime Minister raised the problems surrounding the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol and “underlined the need for quick progress”, Downing Street said.

Mr Johnson also stressed the UK Government is “committed to finding practical solutions” to the trade row in accordance with the Good Friday Agreement.

In a post on Twitter following the call, Ms von der Leyen expressed her “deep concern” on the implementation of the Brexit trade and withdrawal agreement.

She added: “We will discuss how to progress and ensure compliance in margins of G7.”

A Downing Street spokesman said:  “The Prime Minister spoke to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen this afternoon, ahead of the G7 Summit.”

He added: “The Prime Minister and the President also spoke about the issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol.

“The Prime Minister set out that the UK is committed to finding practical solutions that protect the aims of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and minimise the impact on the lives of people in Northern Ireland.

“He underlined the need for quick progress.

 “The leaders looked forward to seeing each other in Cornwall later this week.”

The Northern Ireland Protocol was created to prevent a hard border on the Island of Ireland and ties Belfast to the EU single market and customs union.

The mechanism has resulted in increased checks and delays on goods moving between Northern Ireland and the rest of Great Britain.

The UK has already taken unilateral action by extending grace periods on most checks – but the bloc has ordered Britain to make a U-turn.

European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic has ignited the prospect of a trade war between the two sides – with Brussels threatening tariffs and quotas on British exports – if the UK moves away from the protocol.

Mr Sefcovic said there had been “numerous and fundamental gaps” in the UK’s implementation of the agreement.

His response came amid reports the UK is preparing to delay checks on chilled meats, such as sausages, coming to Northern Ireland from Great Britain when the current “grace period” expires at the end of June.

Environment Secretary George Eustice described the idea of controls on the movement of chilled meats as “bonkers”.

He added: “I think that’s a nonsense.

“I think we’ve got a very good sausage industry in this country, we’ve got the highest standards of food hygiene in the world.”

Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin has also voiced his concerns and called on both sides to rebuild trust.

The Taoiseach said: “It’s important that we do resolve these issues and that trust is built up between the European Union and the United Kingdom.

“It’s very important that our trust is built up, because otherwise we will have continuing issues and problems.”