David Trimble has repeated his threat to resign as Stormont First Minister. Mr Trimble has threatened to resign if no IRA decommissioning has taken place by the end of the month. The Ulster Unionist leader was speaking after talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair at Downing Street this afternoon.
Mr Trimble attended the talks with two of his party's new MPs, Silvia Hermon and David Burnside. Earlier, Mr Burnside said that he believed Gerry Adams was preparing to announce that an IRA arms dump had been permanently sealed. He said that it would be a "con trick" and that it would be accompanied by more Sinn Féin demands on policing and demilitarisation.
Mr Trimble met with Mr Blair for an hour. Mr Trimble's political future hangs in the balance in the wake of losses in Westminster and local elections. Before travelling to London, Mr Trimble said that the British Government needs to bolster the political middle ground in the North, following the election gains by Sinn Féin and the DUP. He said that moderates had lost out to the extremes.
Mr Trimble could face a leadership challenge at a meeting of the ruling Ulster Unionist Council later this month. He pressed Mr Blair to resist Republican demands concerning policing and demilitarisation. Mr Trimble is demanding some movement on the decommissioning front from Republicans.
In a separate development, Tony Blair has appointed two new Ministers of State to work under the Northern Secretary. The British Prime Minister appointed Jane Kennedy, a Labour MP in Liverpool, to take responsibility for Security, Policing and Prisons in the North. Des Browne, MP for Kilmarnock in Scotland, replaces George Howarth, and will cover Criminal Justice, Victim Issues and Human Rights.
