David Trimble's leadership of the Ulster Unionist party has come under renewed pressure tonight with a call to hold a crucial meeting which could end with an order for him to quit the Stormont Power-Sharing Executive. The Lagan Valley MP Jeffrey Donaldson, has asked for the party's ruling council to be reconvened to consider sanctioning the withdrawal of Mr Trimble and two colleagues from the Stormont executive. He said tonight that the party needed to get its act together.
Once next Saturday's Ulster Unionist conference is out of the way, senior officers will be urged to fix a date for the meeting. But Mr Donaldson insisted it would not mean a leadership challenge at this stage, but it was all about policy. The humiliating South Antrim by-election defeat, Nationalist calls for the full implementation of the Patten Report on future policing arrangements, and confirmation of IRA involvement in a Florida gun running plot have heightened Ulster Unionist demands on Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams to persuade the IRA to start emptying its secret arms dumps.
Mr Trimble has survived one leadership challenge, but he now heads a party with dwindling majority backing and in serious difficulties because of the tense power sharing arrangement with Sinn Féin at Stormont. Party officers will consider Mr Donaldson's call for a meeting, but if they
fail to agree then his supporters will try to force one. The MP said tonight “Given the substantial evidence of IRA involvement in the gun running plot from Florida, our position in the executive is unsustainable. It is absolutely essential we review our policy. Speculation about leadership challenge at this stage is just speculation. This meeting will be
about policy, nothing else”, he added.
