Peter Hain has announced that the government no longer recognises the Ulster Volunteer Force ceasefire.

The Ulster secretary also announced on Wednesday that the Red Hand Commando has been 'specified' as in breach of its ceasefire commitments.

"I have reviewed the status of all specified and other paramilitary organisations, as I am obliged to do under legislation, and concluded there are sufficient grounds to specify the UVF/RHC," he said.

"I intend therefore to lay an order before parliament to that effect and to seek parliament's approval."

Hain later told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "What I have done in this decision overnight is to send an absolutely crystal clear signal out to everybody that we will not tolerate violence, that it does not pay."

There has been no change to the recognition of other loyalist paramilitary ceasefires.

Wednesday's move came after a review of paramilitary ceasefires prompted by an ongoing loyalist feud.

It was also taken in the wake of the recent rioting in Belfast, in which the security forces came under sustained attack.

Hain said the feud and the "very serious" attacks against the security forces over the course of September 10 and 11 amounted to a breakdown in the ceasefires.

The move came ahead of Hain's talks with a Sinn Fein delegation including Martin McGuinness, Gerry Kelly and Alex Maskey.

There has been speculation that the IRA is preparing to decommission more arms within weeks.

Progressive Unionist Party leader David Ervine, whose party is linked to the UVF, said the move by the government was "hardly unexpected".

He described it as "tragic" and said it would mean there would be more ground to cover once the UVF was restored to the political process.

In July, the Northern Ireland secretary said he intended to withhold the PUP's assembly allowances for another year.

The latest moves follow a report from the Independent Monitoring Commission, which is set to say that the UVF and Red Hand Commandos remained active, violent and involved in organised crime.

Meanwhile, shadow Northern Ireland secretary David Lidington also travelled to Ulster on Wednesday for talks on the recent disturbances with chief constable Sir Hugh Orde.