The two Sinn Féin ministers in Northern Ireland's power-sharing Executive were today called upon to resign to save the political institutions.
As the British government prepares to suspend the Northern Ireland Assembly at the beginning of next week, Ulster Unionist Sir Reg Empey called on Education Minister Mr Martin McGuinness and Health Minister Ms Bairbre de Brun to vacate their posts.
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The Stormont Enterprise Minister said that after last week's raid on Sinn Fein offices at Stormont and allegations that the IRA was operating a spy ring at the heart of Government, it was clear republicans had a strong case to answer.
"I would be calling today for Sinn Fein if they really care about the institutions to stand down from the Executive voluntarily to allow the institutions to survive while all this is looked into and resolved," he said.
But a Sinn Fein spokesman dismissed the call, saying republicans were not the people trying to wreck the political process.
"Sinn Fein is not trying to pull the institutions down. That has been the consistent threat from Sir Reg's party.
"If he cared about the Agreement he would be urging his party leader to stay in the institutions and to resolve issues within the political system established under the Agreement."
Four people have already been charged with possession of documents likely to have been of use to terrorists after the police raid on homes in north and west Belfast and Sinn Fein's Stormont office.