Angry unionists last night raised a question mark over the planned meeting of the Ulster Unionist Council on Saturday week, as they pressed the British government for details of the Bill implementing the Patten reforms of the RUC.
Authoritative sources said Mr David Trimble could fly to London today for emergency talks with the Prime Minister, Mr Blair, as it became clear the issue of the RUC title could derail plans to have the Northern Ireland Executive reinstated on Monday, May 22nd.
The sense of developing crisis was hardened by news that Mr Trimble's deputy, Mr John Taylor, in a letter in today's London Times, is expected to say he is "holding fire" on whether to recommend the UUC's acceptance of the new "weapons beyond use" deal concluded at Hillsborough on Friday.
Amid reports that the issue of flying the Union flag over government buildings had also been reopened, Mr Ken Maginnis accused officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the Taoiseach of adopting "a perverse" attitude to the Belfast Agreement.
Mr Trimble had been confidently expected to put the alternative "decommissioning" deal to his ruling council two days before the new devolution deadline, on May 20th.
Notices for that meeting would need to be posted tomorrow to give delegates seven days' notice under party rules.
However, a Northern Ireland Office spokesman would only confirm the government was still working towards production of the policing Bill by the end of this week or early next.
Since the conclusion of the negotiations at Hillsborough the widespread assumption is that a pre-cooked deal on the RUC title was being held back to maximise its impact on unionist opinion ahead of the UUC meeting.
Dublin has repeatedly signalled a disposition to grant Mr Trimble some "concession" on the RUC. However, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, along with SDLP and Sinn Fein spokesmen, repeated his view that RUC can not be included in the title of the new force, and there can be no deviation from Patten's conclusion that a new beginning for policing requires a service free from association with the symbolism of the British or Irish state.
Mark Brennock, Political Correspondent, adds: Mr Ahern and Mr Blair have held three inconclusive phone calls this week in efforts to agree a concession on policing to strengthen Mr Trimble in advance of the meeting.