Ulster Unionist leader Mr David Trimble's strategy for achieving devolution and paramilitary disarmament has failed, Mr Jeffrey Donaldson claimed this morning.
As UUP officers prepared for a potentially stormy meeting at their Belfast HQ at noon on attempts to suspend three MPs, Mr Donaldson brushed off criticism from supporters of Mr Trimble that he was dependent on conflict within the party.
"I have not made this an issue about leadership," the Lagan Valley MP said. "It is about party policy.
"Members of our party put Sinn Féin into the heart of our Government and when they were there they engaged in terrorist activity, in espionage against the Government and other political parties, in the targeting of politicians like myself, police and prison officers.
"We set out twin objectives of our party to have decommissioning and devolution.
"David Trimble's strategy has not been successful. If so, why do we have no Assembly, elections have been cancelled and the decommissioning process to date has been a farce?" he said.
Today's party officers' meeting was taking place days four day after the Belfast High Court overturned attempts to suspend Mr Donaldson, UUP President the Reverend Martin Smyth and South Antrim MP David Burnside for resigning the UUP whip in Westminster last month in protest at party policy.
The three MPs incurred the wrath of the UUP leadership by their action which followed a decision by the Ulster Unionist Council to back the leadership policy of not completely rejecting British and Irish Government plans for the future of the Belfast Agreement.
A High Court judge on Monday ruled that a disciplinary committee which suspended the MPs was not properly convened and therefore its decision was not binding.
UUP leaders were today expected to discuss the row and the legal costs which have been incurred as a result of the High Court action.
PA