A row about the RUC Special Branch was brewing last night as Mr Peter Mandelson renewed warnings of a possible preChristmas bombing campaign by the "Real IRA".
The Northern Secretary echoed an earlier police assessment that dissident republicans pose a serious threat to life, describing the "Real IRA" threat as "very real on both sides of the Irish Sea".
At the same time, the Ulster Unionist MP, Mr Ken Maginnis, pointed an accusing finger at the Chief RUC Constable, Sir Ronnie Flanagan, and 10 Downing Street, alleging they would be responsible should the dissidents breach security defences.
It is understood Mr Maginnis has had meetings with Sir Ronnie to express "huge concerns" about what he describes as "premature tampering with Special Branch". This, he claims, can benefit only terrorist organisations.
In a cryptic statement yesterday, Mr Maginnis said he believed changes affecting Special Branch would "render that branch of policing relatively ineffective". He charged Downing Street and Sir Ronnie with responsibility "to the extent that the next bomb that goes off in London could be detonated because of the inability of a neutered Special Branch to deal with the level of terrorist activity that still exists".
The focus of Mr Maginnis's criticism appeared to be the Chief Constable's "fundamental review" of policing rather than the Patten reforms. "I have long maintained that Sir Ronnie's fundamental review gives a greater insight into what is intended to happen to the RUC than anything contained in the vague and non-specific pages of Patten," he said.
Meanwhile, yesterday's Sunday Telegraph said the British government was planning to appoint a member of the Garda to the rank of assistant chief constable in the newly titled Police Service of Northern Ireland.
The development came alongside confirmation that four of Sir Ronnie's seven assistant chief constables are planning to leave the force and reports of widespread resignations in the RUC higher echelons in protest at the Patten reforms.
Mr Pat Armstrong, chairman of the Police Authority, confirmed he had written to Garda Commissioner Mr Pat Byrne asking him to draw the vacancy to the attention of his senior officers.
A spokesman for the authority was quoted as saying: "The authority has written to Commissioner Byrne circulating details of the post. This is the first time we have done this; it is in line with the proposals in the Patten report recommending the recruitment of officers from the Garda and mainland forces."