Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain was tonight accused of trying to dictate how the Northern Ireland Assembly conducts its business.
As Assembly members prepared to debate a motion querying the way Stormont was being operated, Ulster Unionist leader Sir Reg Empey insisted MLAs needed to assert their own independence.
"The way the Secretary of State conducted the Hain mark one Assembly between May and November this year was to stifle debate, and interfere as much as possible," the East Belfast Assembly member said.
"The first meeting of the Hain mark two transitional Assembly on November 24 also saw the Secretary of State trying to stage-manage events," he added.
The latest incarnation of the Assembly is designed to pave the way for the restoration of power-sharing next March under Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and Prime Minister Tony Blair's plan for devolution.
Earlier this year MLAs accused Mr Hain of treating the Assembly with contempt by failing to call it to debate motions put forward by the Business Committee.
Tomorrow's debate is expected to also focus on Mr Hain's role in the controversy over whether the Rev Ian Paisley fulfilled Government requirements on November 24th to indicate he would be First Minister next year.
PA