British prime minister, Mr Tony Blair, was today accused of arrogantly breaking Parliamentary rules to secure offices at Westminster for Sinn Féin.
Ulster Unionist MP Mr David Burnside warned the British government it could expect a flood of opposition if republicans were given access to Westminster facilities without taking an oath of allegiance to the Queen.
He declared: "It's seen as an insult, Blair is acting arrogantly to the institutions of parliament."
Sinn Féin’s four MPs refuse to take their seats in the House and have always been denied office space at Westminster because they do not pledge allegiance to the Crown.
But, following moves involving Downing Street and the Northern Ireland Office, the issue is set to come before the Commons on Tuesday.
Mr Burnside predicted the Blair administration may be taken back by the level of anger the move has provoked.
The South Antrim MP said: "They are breaking the rules for Sinn Féin/IRA.
"There are Scottish nationalists and Welsh nationalists who are anti-monarchy, but they go in and take the oath.
"I think the opposition to this is going to be a lot stronger than people think and it's not going to be swept through easily."