Fresh efforts are under way to persuade the Ulster Unionist leader, Mr David Trimble, to stand down ahead of his party's annual meeting in March. Frank Millar, London Editor, reports.
The Irish Times understands that a number of senior unionist politicians are preparing to tell Mr Trimble privately they believe his position is untenable and that he cannot hope to re-unite the party in the aftermath of its Assembly election defeat by the Rev Ian Paisley's DUP.
At the same time a number of UUP Assembly members previously loyal to Mr Trimble are understood to be considering resigning the party whip in an attempt to force the putative leadership challenge into the open.
The dissident Assembly members - variously estimated at between five and nine in number - are seeking a leading party figure willing to act as the public voice of their attempt to oust Mr Trimble. However, one of those being privately canvassed for that role - Lord Kilclooney, formerly the Strangford MP Mr John Taylor - last night ruled out any part in such an action. At the same time Lord Kilclooney reflected the deep unease within the UUP, saying: "David Trimble continues to have my personal support but I recognise that the party is now very badly divided."
Another former loyalist said he had little doubt Mr Trimble could survive a challenge at the annual meeting of the ruling Ulster Unionist Council, while adding: "The risk as I see it is that he can carry on long enough to deny the party any chance of recovery."
That point was echoed by an Assembly member who confirmed he was one of those considering resigning the whip in a bid to force the issue. He explained he would only do so as part of a public campaign to persuade Mr Trimble that he should not seek re-election in March. "If people aren't prepared to stand up to him now, then they'll have to stick with him until the party is wrecked," he said.
However, a prominent anti-agreement colleague in the Assembly suggested that the resignation of the whip "will not be necessary", and claimed there was an emerging consensus in favour of what he called "a corporate leadership team".
Significantly, this Trimble opponent also predicted that the former Stormont enterprise minister, Sir Reg Empey, would probably emerge as overall leader, assuming an absence of prior agreement, and that at least one other candidate would want to put his case to the UUC.
According to this source: "It doesn't really matter who the titular chief is. This will be a collective leadership gathered around a post-(Belfast) Agreement policy position, tasked to rebuild the party and prepare it for next year's general election."
Others on the anti-agreement wing say they would like to see the former leadership challenger, the Rev Martin Smyth, emerge as a "caretaker leader". However, they, too, seem ready to embrace the notion of a "corporate leadership" in which Sir Reg, if elected by the UUC, would lead the party from Stormont with Mr Smyth - or his fellow MP Mr David Burnside - becoming parliamentary leader at Westminster.